Son Goku the Para Saiyan
by GreatWyrmGold
Summary: On the planet Namek, while facing one of the most powerful and evil beings in the universe, Son Goku is subjected to extreme stresses which awaken unknown powers. Has he become the legendary Super Saiyan, or is has he become the host for some strange, unknown power?
1. Prologue! The Namekian Entity

_The Entity left the shattered remains of a planet behind it in countless worlds. It had chosen a new world, inhabited by a bipedal species. The bipeds had a number of unusual characteristics which the Entity wished to examine. They were symbiotic with photosynthetic prokaryotes, allowing them to survive entirely on water; an albino minority lacked the symbiotes. Their biology was unusually homogeneous and modular, which doubtless assisted their regeneration, fusion, and elastic capabilities, but did not fully explain them. They reproduced asexually, with fusion allowing gene transfer; their young grow remarkably quickly as well. The species could also transmit and detect forms of energy few species could, allowing them to communicate without alerting others. There was a wide variety of information to be gleaned from them; the Entity began planning a slow cycle, approximately two thousand five hundred revolutions of the planet around its suns._

 _While examining versions of this world, the Entity came across one where the population had nearly been exterminated by a great climate change, its albino minority exterminated and the remainder of the bipedal race reduced to a mere handful. The Entity briefly investigated the future of that world, deciding whether or not to send shards to those few survivors and investigate how they dealt with near-extinction; it was surprised to learn that within less than one thousand five hundred revolutions of the planet, it would be destroyed. The Entity devoted more energy to examining the situation, and discovered creatures of species alien to the planet invaded before its destruction. The Entity found two of the races particularly interesting._

 _One was represented by one individual, seemingly a leader, of a species with nearly unlimited metamorphic capabilities and adaptations allowing it to function in vacuum. The other had three members present; it had metamorphic capabilities as well (though more limited), as well as a natural ability to become stronger when healing wounds. The Entity noted a time when the member of the former species and one member of the latter would undergo events allowing efficient symbiosis with a shard, and discovered that both would survive the destruction of the planet; it sent two shards, one to each individual. The Entity then searched for potential hosts among the dominant species on the planet earlier in its history, sending three additional shards._

 _Content with its preparations for that universe, the Entity continued examining versions of the world in other universes. It cast off countless shards, decreasing in size by ten-thousandfold. The shards drifted through five dimensions, dormant, waiting to find their predestined hosts._

* * *

 _Despair. The primary stressor is the loss of an individual close to the host. Secondary stressors include concern for additional such individuals and fear of the individual responsible for their deaths._

 _Host enjoys combat and craves physical power. Enjoys honorable combative challenges, does not care for death. Simple, single-minded. Non-pragmatic, stubborn, reckless. Proud, fearless. Mild phobia of medical equipment. Lacks subtlety. Kind, particularly to individuals close to the host. Bipolar; usually untroubled and jovial, but can become violent and cruel when sufficiently stressed. Rejects kin, aloof from society._

 _Host is suffering from significant though not life-threatening damage. Numerous bruises and abrasions. Seven minor skeletal fractures, two major. Internal bleeding. Exhaustion. Metamorphic organ severed. Injuries deemed unacceptable._

 _Additional shard detected._

 _Responses: Information exchanged. Damage repaired. Metamorphic organ regenerated._ _Schemata extracted. Resilience determined. Limits formulated._ _Connection created._ _P_ _syche adapted._

 _Entering reactionary phase._

* * *

 _Terror. The primary stressor is fear of an unstoppable opponent. Secondary stressors include realization of deep phobia._

 _Host takes great joy in destruction and death. Enjoys causing pain, both physical and emotional. Disdainful of other beings, proud, selfish. Leader, desires perfection from subjects. Easily bored. Easily terrified by beings capable of harming host, possesses difficulty distinguishing probability. Pragmatic but irrational when stressed; otherwise, logical, indolent, and efficient. Reckless._

 _Host is suffering from minor damage. Numerous bruises, some abrasions. One photosensitive organ damaged. Secondary appendage partially severed. Injuries deemed acceptable._

 _Additional shard detected. Exchanging information._

 _Responses: Information exchanged. Schemata extracted. Resilience determined. Limits formulated. Connection created. Psyche adapted._

 _Entering reactionary phase._


	2. Trigger! Son Goku is the Super Saiyan?

Goku was thrown backwards by the force of the Spirit Bomb. He was covered in water, he saw only darkness. He felt himself pulled along by something.

 _I really hope that's Krillin or Gohan or Piccolo..._

Suddenly, the damp cold fell away and a hard surface smashed into Goku. He coughed, grateful to be alive. In the distance, he heard Gohan and Krillin, yelling to him as they flew closer. Goku looked up towards them and saw Gohan landing.

"Dad! You're okay!"

"Hey, Gohan..."

The next few minutes passed in a bit of a blur for Goku, as the others talked and Goku slowly stood. Once he was up, they all stood in silence, staring at the sea where Frieza had died.

"Are you ready to go?" Goku asked Gohan. "My spaceship should be able to get us back to Earth in...just under six days."

Gohan smiled and cheered. "I finally get to see Mom and everyone again in less than a week!" He kept leaping in the air and cheering until Krillin cried out in fear.

"What is it?" Piccolo asked.

"Bulma's out there somewhere," Krillin whispered. Goku felt a deep sense of relief. "I totally forgot..."

Goku sighed. "Krillin, don't scare us like that. From the look on your face, I'd thought Frieza popped back up." He glanced back at the sea to be sure.

"Yeah, well, trust me, he's got _nothing_ on her when she's ticked off."

Several seconds passed, then Goku and the others started laughing again. The laughter made Goku's ribs ache. "Don't make me laugh, my body hurts enough as it is."

Another moment passed. "It's hard to believe how much strife this little planet has endured. But perhaps the Grand Elder and my other kinsmen can at last rest peacefully."

"We've done more than that," Krillin said. "Well, mostly Goku, but he stopped a maniac from killing anyone else. That's worth just about anything, I think."

"I'm just glad the Spirit Bomb worked better than it did against Vegeta," Gohan said.

Goku smiled. "Yeah. You could say, he suffered from a bad case of—"

"No," Piccolo interrupted.

Krillin screamed again.

"Krillin—"

"It actually _is_ Frieza this time!"

Goku turned to follow Krillin's gaze. Across the lake, a rock jutted out of the water. On the rock stood the battered form of Frieza, still alive and in one piece.

"It can't be!" Piccolo said.

"It is, okay?" Frieza growled. "Thanks. Die."

He fired a beam of energy from his finger directly at Goku, who was too exhausted to react quickly. Piccolo shoved Goku out of the way; both collapsed.

Gohan stared at Piccolo's fallen form. "No...no...this can't be...no...PICCOLO!"

 _I didn't even sense his energy_ , Goku thought. _I can't..._

Krillin crouched by Piccolo's side. "Piccolo...please, get up..."

Goku shoved himself to his feet, shaking with rage. "Frieza..."

"Oh, fine, I'll get to you in a moment, you insolent monkey. But I've realized I don't want to kill you just yet, a quick death is too little a punishment for you, for nearly bringing down the mighty Frieza. I've thought of an idea, I should thank the Namekian for that. First, you will watch your companions _die_. And I will start with the bald one."

Sparks of energy burst from Frieza's fingertip, and Krillin rose several inches into the air.

"Why me?" Krillin whimpered.

"Oh? You don't even remember an event as momentous as wounding the mighty Lord Frieza? If you don't, that just makes me want to _kill_ you even _more_."

Frieza raised his open hand into the air. Krillin shot into the air and began screaming.

"Please, no!" Gohan shouted.

"You're next, brat, but wait your turn!" Frieza began laughing, and slowly closed his hand. Krillin screamed one last scream before exploding. "And now for the peanut gallery's reaction. Thoughts, peanut gallery?"

Goku glared at the tyrant. "You...you won't get away with this!"

"A ha ha! That's pretty funny. Hilarious, even. Good monkey." Frieza stared down at Gohan, continuing to laugh, considering how to kill his next victim. "As promised, you—"

 _A massive_ thing _was flying through space, larger than anything Goku had seen, massive in a way he couldn't comprehend yet still alive. It was made of uncountable smaller creatures, dividing, combining, mingling, each piece moving as sinuously as the whole. He saw a thousand thousand almost-perfect mirror images, each moving slightly differently, avoiding slightly different obstacles, returning to the same shape as the others. He knew that each image was a part of the whole, as surely as he knew the individual pieces splitting off were a part of the whole._

 _It was falling apart, each movement of each image making a dozen pieces of the beast slide away, curving off on its own unique path, leaving the creature behind, finding their own paths. The creature was falling apart, disintegrating, shrinking. Goku could almost hear the creature communicating, whispering to its parts, directing them, the responses falling silent as the pieces begin to drift away, to fade..._

"—will go next. Now, how shall I kill you?"

Goku felt some sort of ki flowing into him. He saw his hands glowing with a faint orange energy. He looked up at Frieza. "How about not at all?"

* * *

The almighty Lord Frieza looked down at the puny monkey named Son Goku and chuckled. "So eager. Well, I'd much rather do the child first, but if you—"

A burst of energy shot from the monkey and struck the mighty ruler, making him briefly lose his balance. "My, my, how rude. I was _tal_ —" Frieza realized that the monkey looked different. Its injuries were healed. ( _What a pain_ , he thought, _considering how hard I worked to give those to it. It was actually work!_ ) Even its tail was back, when all reports said it had been missing since before he got to...whatever this boring planet was named. The fool had a familiar look of anger and hatred, but an unfamiliar orange glow, which kept building up. It wasn't the normal charging-up aura, either—too close to the body, building too fast.

The monkey began talking to its whelp. Something about a musical instrument. The whelp grabbed the Namekian and flew away.

"Hm. My, my, do I need to teach you some manners. Don't ignore me, don't interrupt me, and don't make me break my promises." Frieza smiled and pointed at the flying fools, preparing an energy beam, deciding if he wanted to knock them out of the sky and watch them struggle or just kill them and beat up the dumb gorilla. Unfortunately, these deliberations were interrupted by said monkey, who grabbed Frieza's wrist.

Frieza twisted out of the monkey's grip and flipped over, kicking it in the head. When his foot met face, he felt an energy pushing back at him, surprising the mighty Lord Frieza and causing him to spin and fall to the ground, several meters from the monkey.

Frieza slowly floated upright. "That's a lovely trick you have, but it won't—" He was interrupted by glowing images which looked much like the monkey slamming into him, one after another, slowly driving Frieza back until he dug his feet into the ground. "Okay, let's get back to the questions. _What the hell are you?_ "

The monkey—the _Saiyan_ —smiled. "Can't you tell? It's like Vegeta said. You aren't dealing with the average Saiyan warrior anymore."

The mighty Lord Frieza felt a rare feeling stirring in his gut—fear. Deep, deep fear. He tried to keep his composure. "Oh—please, I've heard it all before. Y-you're not the first person who's claimed to be the fulfillm-ment of some ancient prophecy."

It shook its head. "Perhaps. But you know I'm different. I am the hope of the Universe. I am the light in the darkness. I am a Saiyan, who came here from Earth to defeat you."

The fearsome Frieza tried to think of a response. "Why—why should I be afraid of an Earthling more than some home-grown hero? For that matter, didn't _Vegeta_ come here by way of Earth, too? He's— _twice_ the Saiyan you are."

The Saiyan's new aura continued to brighten and grow as he talked. "You're wrong. I am the protector of the innocent. I am a legendary warrior—known throughout the entire universe as the most powerful warrior to ever exist—whose heart was awakened by your violent rage."

"Huh, s-some legend. _I've_ certainly never heard of it. Is it about—some sort of quest? A journey? Those always _bore_ me. A lot."

"I am the alpha and the omega—an ally to good, and a nightmare to you!"

 _You have no idea._

"I am Son Goku, and I am a Super Sai—"

 _A million red-and-blue planets exploded. No—the same planet exploded a million times simultaneously. Among the debris, flying out past the planet's satellite and into the blackness between stars, the emptiness between galaxies, were clouds of tiny, massive fragments, each alive, each moving. He realized that each of the million images were similar, but not quite the same, each with different obstacles to the living fragments, each shifting around them differently. It reminded Frieza of the hyperdimensional fractal Cooler had as his screensaver for a while, only infinitely more complicated._

 _One cloud of fragments, now far away from the others, was making its own path. It searched galaxies in its path, searching for intelligent life. Eventually, it found one, billions and billions of parsecs away. On millions of versions of that world around millions of versions of its sun, there was a species of vermiform chordate living in massive hives; on many worlds, the hives grew large and complex, used advanced technology, fought wars, and so on. The cloud shifted its path slightly, before examining the millions of worlds more thoroughly..._

The Super Saiyan clutched his head. "D'no whacha...did, Freezer, but it...won't help you any."

"What _I_ did? What d-did _you_ do?"

"What do you _mean_ , what did I do?"

The mighty Frieza forced himself to smile. "I suppose it doesn't matter, does it? I mean, you're just a monkey with a few tricks. I've killed millions— _billions_ —of other monkeys just like you! You're nothing special—you're just another boring, stupid, filthy, backwards, uncultured, worthless, pathetic monkey!"

The Saiyan floated in place, his aura continuing to grow. "...Are you done yet?"

Frieza cried out in rage and hurled a ball of energy at the stupid Saiyan. It dodged, leaving a bit of its aura behind as a glowing clone, which promptly charged at Lord Frieza.

"What is this?" The thing crashed into Frieza, trying to harm him, forcing him to disperse the energy with his own. "Argh! That was a unique technique, but don't expect me to be caught off-guard again."

The great Frieza realized he felt something. Watching the Saiyan, waiting for its next attack, he realized he felt the something where it was. It was like an extra sense he could perceive things with, and yet...part of something else, too. He reached out for the Saiyan and closed his hand, feeling the something he felt flare up slightly, watching it slow and look around in surprise, feeling a tiny trickle of some form of energy into his aura.

"Yes...don't expect _me_ to be caught off-guard..."


	3. Hurry! King Kai's Wish Plot

Gohan glanced over the shoulder which Piccolo wasn't draped over. He could see his dad and Frieza fighting, surrounded by auras glowing in unusual colors, which were in turn surrounded by rocks and dirt their power was ripping from the ground. _Their power...I wouldn't think it was possible if I wasn't right here._ Something was weird about their energy, not only the level but also the feel. _I wonder if there are other kinds of energy people can draw on? Maybe their energy feels weird because they're using different levels of ki or something._

 _I wonder if Dad can teach me how to do that. If he gets out of here alive...If I'm taking his spaceship, will there be anything on this planet he knows how to fly?_ Off in the distance, Frieza fired a stream of energy blasts at Gohan's father, most of which missed; one came distressingly close to hitting Gohan and Piccolo. _I can't worry about him. Dad wanted me and Piccolo to get away from here. He wanted me to go, he surely has a plan. Right?_ Gohan spotted a large black-and-white sphere, lying on the ground. _That must be the ship! Let's see, me and Piccolo are here, Dad's fighting Frieza, basically everyone else is dead...that just leaves Bulma. I'll drop Piccolo off here, then find her. I hope Dad didn't lock the door..._

Gohan circled the ship and landed by what looked like a door. He carefully dropped Piccolo onto the ground before fiddling with the control panel by the door. It opened, dropping a short staircase onto the ground and Piccolo's leg.

"Sorry!" Gohan said, pulling Piccolo's leg free.

Piccolo grunted in pain. "I've had worse."

"Right." Gohan dragged Piccolo into the spaceship. "Now, um...how's the chest?"

"I'll live. Is there anything else you need to do?"

"There's Bulma."

"...Why did you bring Bulma to an alien battleground?"

"To fly the ship."

Piccolo grunted and shifted his upper body, causing his head to flop about. "Ow. It looks like Goku got here all on his own."

"It's a simpler ship. You can probably have it fly straight home by just pressing one button...not sure which one. I'll ask Bulma about it after—"

A screen on the wall turned on with a slight buzz, showing a picture of Gohan's mother.

"...Mom?"

 _"Gohan! You're okay! Oh, I was so worried..."_

An unfamiliar man's voice spoke up. _"Ask him about the others."_

 _"I can see Piccolo."_

 _"Well? How is he?"_

 _"He's got a hole in his chest. Just like Goku did after—"_

"You are _not_ bringing that up right now," Piccolo mumbled.

"Bulma's basically okay," Gohan said before either could continue their thoughts. "Dad's fighting Frieza...I think he's winning? Krillin...Krillin's...dead."

"Again," Piccolo mumbled. "He'll be fine."

Master Roshi forced himself into the picture. _"What happened to Krillin?"_

 _"Where did_ you _come from?"_ the first male voice demanded.

"It was Frieza," Gohan said. "We thought Dad's Spirit Bomb blew him up, but he was fine and blew up Krillin and Dad got really mad and started glowing funny and told me to get Piccolo and Bulma to safety...I should probably go do that."

 _"No!"_ Gohan's mother shouted. _"I haven't even_ talked _to you in more than a week and—"_

"Sorry," Gohan said quietly, "I—I need to get Bulma. Things are getting bad out there...I shouldn't leave her alone." _We probably shouldn't have left her alone as much as we did._ "I promise I'll talk to you once we're in space, okay?"

* * *

Goku had discovered he could release faint clones of himself from his aura, once it was charged. He paused, floating about fifty feet from Frieza, and charged his energy for a moment. "Kaio-ken times five!" Goku released several clones at once, all glowing the same red-orange color as his new aura, surrounded by the darker red of the kaio-ken. The clones converged on Frieza, who knew the clones could follow him if he dodged; he raised a feeble lavender energy shield with a more solid one beneath. The clones all dashed against the shields at the same time and place; with their energies added together and multiplied by the kaio-ken, some still got through.

Goku hovered above Frieza, watching him and breathing heavily. _I can't keep this up forever...but I think Frieza's getting tired too. I can feel his is energy starting to wane._

"How?" he demanded. "How can you be so _strong?_ "

"Well, I trained for four days coming over here. I think that's part of it."

"What? Four _days?_ You'd need to train at least thirty times as long for that to matter at _all!_ You're...you're..."

"Son Goku. I know, it can be hard remembering names sometimes."

"No! You—" Frieza glared at Goku. "I can't believe I'm losing to an idiot monkey!"

"I get that a lot."

"NO! You—you—you—" Frieza fired an energy blast at Goku, who dodged out of the way. "I am _Lord Frieza_ , the strongest being in the universe!"

"Are you sure about—"

" _Shut_ _up!_ " Frieza began firing a barrage of energy bolts at Goku, who deflected them all as quickly as they came. "I am the greatest and mightiest of my family, who are all the greatest of my race to ever live! And my race is the greatest of all races which ever graced this grand galaxy!"

"What's a galaxy?"

"You...you came here in a _spaceship_ and you don't know what a fucking _galaxy_ is?"

"I didn't learn about books."

"...There is no way in _any_ hell that I am losing to someone like _you_. One way or another, I will..." Frieza's glare turned to a grin. "Any way possible, I _will_ win." He smiled and brought both hands in front of his chest, gathering energy. "Your monkey biology is as primitive as your one-dimensional Saiyan culture. My race is the culmination of evolution, as my family is the pinnacle of my race."

"What's ev—"

"Let me simplify this for your primitive simian brain. I can breathe in space—and you can't!" Frieza began laughing maniacally.

"But we're on a planet," Goku pointed out.

"Not for long!" Frieza kept laughing maniacally as threw the ball of energy at the planet. "Goodbye, Dumb Goner the Stupid Saiyan!"

"Son Goku the Super Saiyan," Goku corrected. "And you never did say what a gal—"

* * *

"No...no, no, no!"

Yamcha jumped forward. "What is it, King Kai? What just happened?"

"There was a big surge of energy from Frieza, then...nothing. He's destroyed Namek with one blow! Without Goku and Piccolo, the dragon balls are no more and there's nothing to stop Frieza from coming to—"

 _If you're nearly done screaming, Mr. Popo has nearly gathered—_

"...Kami? Is that you?"

"Piccolo's alive?" Yamcha exclaimed. "So—that means Goku's probably alive, too—"

 _King Kai, can't you sense their energies?_ Kami asked.

"I'm having an off day. Something about the fate of the galaxy hanging in the balance."

"—and Gohan, and—"

"—and Frieza," Tenshinhan added grimly. "There's no way the blast would have hurt him _more_ than it hurt the others. He would take every measure to avoid hurting himself with his own ultimate attack. He's not _that_ crazy."

"He tried to blow up a planet," Chiaotzu pointed out. "I don't think he's sane."

"Surely, he doesn't want to _die_."

* * *

Bulma dusted herself off. Something had just caused a tremor in the planet's crust, knocking her off of her precarious perch. _Probably some fight. Sometimes, I wish I could watch the guys go at it...maybe not this time, though._

She saw a speck flying through the air towards her. _Kami or King Kai or any other gods who can hear me, please let that be Gohan or Goku or Krillin or someone coming to save me. Ideally not Krillin...but I'm not going to complain too much if it's him._

A small voice called out to her. "Bulma!"

"Gohan?"

"Bulma! We need to get out of here fast!" Gohan slowed until he was hovering next to Bulma, before putting his arms around her waist and flying off.

"What's going on?"

"Dad's fighting Frieza. Krillin's dead, Piccolo's hurt, and Mom's going to get mad at me if I don't get back to the ship and call her soon. That's about all I know."

"Can you fly any faster?"

* * *

"—axy is. What did you just do?"

Frieza Winds raced across Namek, with dark skies above and a darker hole below, seeming to stretch on down into infinity. Energy arced out of the hole and over the planet's surface

Frieza frowned, staring at the hole he created. "Hm. Well, I _intended_ to blow up the planet. I suppose I was a bit too careful. Ah well, spilled beverages and all that. I've hit the core, the planet won't last five minutes."

"Question!"

Frieza sighed. "What is it _now_ , monkey?"

"Is that Earth minutes or space minutes?"

"What in the North Galaxy is an erthminit?"

"What on Earth is a galaxy?"

"...I thought of just flying away and letting you die of asphyxiation, but you know what? I really want to kill you myself. Aren't you lucky?"

"I'll say! I haven't gotten a fight like this in ages!"

"So you like hard fights, do you? Of course you do, what was I thinking, you're a _Saiyan_. Well, as it happens, I'm not fighting at my full potential. If you give me a couple of minutes, I'll be fighting at 100% capacity."

Goku nodded, smiled, and looked at the horizon. _This planet was a lot prettier before Frieza tried to blow it up._

 _Goku..._

 _Oh, hi King Kai! How are things at your planet?_

 _Not important! Goku, do_ not _let him power up! He'll be at least twice as strong as he is now, you can't handle it!_

 _Think about it, King Kai. If I beat him at full power, he'll be demoralized and never hurt anyone ever again!_

 _You know what else would stop Frieza from hurting anyone?_ Killing him right now! _Be honest, Goku, you just want a harder fight._

Goku shifted side to side, embarrassed. _Well...yeah..._

A moment passed. The auras around the two fighters swelled.

 _Well? What are you waiting for?_

 _Frieza to power up._

 _Ugh, there's just no arguing with you._

* * *

 _King Kai, are you finished trying to reason with Goku?_

 _Hello again, Kami. Did Popo finish gathering the dragon balls?_

 _He did. Now, what was your plan exactly?_

 _Hold on, can I just talk to Popo?_

 _Fine. I don't get why you can't tell me, though..._

King Kai sighed. _Popo, are you there?_

 _I am._

"Um, King Kai?" Yamcha said.

 _Have you summoned Shenron?_

 _One moment..._ _He's here. Do you want me to bring back more of your "students" to get slaughtered by Frieza?_

"He's in the middle of something," Tenshinhan pointed out. "He'll explain when he has a chance."

 _Of course not, they can wait. My plan requires you to wish for_ everyone _whose deaths were caused by Frieza and his men, naturally not including the ones Shenron's already brought back once._

"Are you sure about that?" Chiaotzu asked.

"No."

 _The Namekian Grand Elder's death was caused in part by Frieza,_ King Kai continued, _so he should be brought back, at least for a while, correct?_

 _Should I do the wish, King Kai?_

 _Ask Shenron about if he can bring back someone_ partly _killed by Frieza with that wish._

A minute passed.

"Seriously, what's going on?" Yamcha asked.

King Kai sighed. "Hush, I'm busy arranging the world to be saved."

 _Shenron says he will try._

 _That's about the best we can hope for. Hopefully one of the Namekians will be close enough to their dragon balls to reach Porunga and wish everyone off of the planet. Then we'll have two sets of dragon balls and a whole race saved._

 _Brilliant,_ Popo thought to King Kai.

 _Of course it is,_ King Kai thought to himself. _Pretty good use of an afternoon, all things considered._ Definitely _better than paperwork._

King Kai smiled as he felt pricks of life popping up around the galaxy one by one, starting with the most recent murders the tyrant and his army committed and moving back in time with astonishing speed. Eventually, the wish ran out of power, but not before repopulating several worlds, including Namek.

Yamcha coughed. "Um, King Kai?"

The Kai sighed and explained his plan again.


	4. Rampage! Vegeta Saved the Day?

Vegeta clawed his way free of the soil of Namek, before coughing up some more of that same soil. _Ha. Frieza thought he could kill me, the Prince of all Saiyans. Idiot. He just...stunned me, made me hallucinate a little. That's all._

He looked around. _This planet got even worse while I was gone, somehow._ _I bet it has to do with those enormous power levels...that one's Frieza, but it's leagues beyond where he k—tried to kill me. Is...is the other one_ Kakarot? _It's...different. I can't put my finger on what, though...aside from the strength._

Vegeta flew towards the fight, keeping low to the ground. Once it came into sight, he squinted, trying to get a good look. _If he got badly hurt and ate one of those beans, the zenkai would account for a lot of that power...but not all of it. And he has this unusual glowing—Wait, is that Kakarot's tail?_ Sure enough, Kakarot had a tail, pushed to the side by the violent winds whipping across whatever this planet was called. Garlic or something.

 _What is the idiot doing? He's just hovering there, letting him charge up! But Kakarot's charging, too...I just hope it will be enough._

 _Wait, why should I care who wins? I hate both of them!_

 _...Well, Frieza's definitely worse. He destroyed my home, Planet Vegeta; he killed my father, King Vegeta; and he even...wounded me, Prince Vegeta! That bastard enslaved me for—wait, if the sky's dark...I can feel the Namekians' power levels...could the wish-dragon be alive?_

"Aha! Immortality is mine!" Vegeta flew to where he remembered the dragon balls being, trying to pick up his train of thought.

 _Where was I...right, enslavement. I want Frieza to die, more than anything. He made me a homeless orphaned slave and then tried to kill me. I bet he hoped Raditz and Nappa and maybe even me would be killed on those missions. Shikk was a deathtrap..._

Behind him, Frieza's power level hit a peak. He and Kakarot began fighting. _That's not good for Kakarot._

Vegeta had an epiphany. _Right now_ , _I want Frieza dead more than anything. I'd lick Kakarot's boots if that's what it took to kill Frieza. Hell, I'd lick_ Radtiz's _boots, and he never wore socks. I just wish there was something I could do..._

 _Wait, Kakarot has a tail now...  
_

* * *

The brilliant Lord Frieza smiled. _I can't believe it. I want to transform, they just let me. I want to blow up the planet, they just let me. I wanted to power up to 100%, and he's—_

"A dragon!" the Saiyan exclaimed. "I can wish back my friends!"

"What?" The mighty Lord Frieza turned and saw the wish-dragon which came with the dragon balls. "Ha! Immortality is mine!" He sped off towards the dragon, trying to overtake the filthy monkey trying to steal his wish. _I'm not at full power, but once I'm immortal, it won't—_

"Hey!" a voice on the ground shouted. "Kakarot!"

Frieza stared. "What? What is Vegeta doing? I killed you!"

"You thought _you_ , of all people, could defeat the Prince of all Saiyans?"

"There are only two left, and I'm going to—what are you doing?" There was a ball of energy in Vegeta's hand, rising into the sky. The cautious Lord Frieza knew that floating balls of energy could be...irritating.

"Hey!" the other Saiyan shouted, turning back. "Did I hear something about Vege..." It stopped in midair, staring at the ball of energy.

"You don't know what it is, either?" Lord Frieza asked. "Not surprising. If even I fail to—Vegeta, why are you laughing?"

"You don't realize yet, Frieza? Are you familiar with the Saiyan Power Ball technique?"

"No, but it sounds positively overb..." The mighty Lord Frieza realized that the other Saiyan was starting to grow in size, shredding its clothing.

"A Saiyan with its tail transforms into a much more powerful form when it looks at a full moon...or at a Power Ball, which generates the same type of radiation!"

 _Oh._

 _This may not go well._

* * *

Dende stood up. "I...I'm alive! How?"

The young Namekian looked around. The world was dying, even he could see that—the water was glowing, the sky was blacker than when Porunga was summoned and full of storms, and the land was scarred with fissures and craters. But Dende forgot all of this for a moment when he saw the great dragon, Porunga.

 _If I'm alive, and Porunga's alive, then surely—_

He heard a voice in his head. _Dende. It is good to see that you are alive once more._

 _Grand Elder Guru!_

 _Yes, it is I._

 _But...how? I thought you...and me...and everyone else..._

 _Were dead? Yes, we were. But we are not the only Namekians in the universe, nor are ours the only dragon balls. But listen—I have a task of great importance for you. Do you see the dragon before you?_

Dende nodded, before realizing that the Grand Elder could not actually see him.

 _Good. Now, listen carefully, Dende. The fate of our entire race is in your hands. Go to the dragon—there is a wish we must make._

Dende nodded again, before flying into the air and towards Porunga.

 _The wish is to move everyone on Namek to a planet named Earth, except for Frieza._

 _Yes, Grand Elder. Of course._

Soon, Dende was close enough to make the wish, close enough to hear and be heard over the rumble of thunder and distant battle.

"Eternal Dragon Porunga!"

 **"Yes, child?"**

"I want to make a wish!"

 **"Then speak your third wish."**

"Okay...yes...Porunga, I wish to—"

Dende was interrupted by a bestial roar. Dende looked past Porunga, and saw a massive hairy monster fighting something much smaller. _I'm sure the Grand Elder didn't want me to bring_ that _to the other planet...it would surely kill anyone who got too close!_

"Eternal Dragon! I'm ready to make my wish! Please, send all living things on Namek to the planet called Earth, except for the evil Frieza and that dangerous-looking monster!"

 _Oh no,_ an unfamiliar voice said inside of Dende's head.

 **"Very well."**

 _Change the wish, quickly!_

 _What? Who are you?_

 **"I will grant that wish."**

 _No, no, no, NO!_

 **"I will move every creature on Namek which yet draws breath to the planet called Earth..."**

 _Did I do something wrong?_

 **"...save those two monsters."**

 _That's not a monster, it's Son Goku!_

 _Goku? Where have I heard that name before?_

 _He's the guy who was beating up Frieza! Now he's going to die and it's all your fault!_

 _I'm sorry, I didn't know!_

 _Shut your mouth_ _, King Kai,_ the Grand Elder interjected. _The boy did his best. It is only natural to be frightened by large monsters, and Goku isn't in control of himself at the moment._

 _If he ever will be again_ , the one the Grand Elder called King Kai said.

* * *

The increasingly angry Lord Frieza was thrown through a plateau by the giant glowing monkey-Saiyan. It ignored everything Frieza threw at it, moved far faster than any transformed state that large had a right to, and worst of all, the damn prince of both Saiyans was laughing at them. _Laughing!_

Frieza landed in the middle of a gathering of the locals. He could feel their feel, as they stared at the tyrant who— _Wait, didn't I have all of these things killed? How could they possibly—wait, I can_ literally _feel their fear. That's new. And it feels like..._ By squeezing his sense of their fear, he could see that the locals getting more fearful. He felt their fear charging some power inside of him. _With this strength...yes, with this strength, I can—_

Frieza's thought processes were interrupted by the giant monkey. He threw up a barrier with the energy he gathered from the locals' fear, blocking the monkey's foot. _Yes! As long as I can keep drawing power from these fearful fools, I can defend myself—maybe finish powering up to 100%, maybe just kill him as we stand. Either way, there's no way I—_

The creatures began to glow, then vanish—and with them, their fear.

 _—can lose._

 _The universe just hates my guts, doesn't it? What did I do to deserve this?_

The mighty Lord Frieza flew away from the monster, firing energy blasts at its face. It roared in pain, and blasted Frieza with a burst of energy from its mouth. He was knocked back towards where Vegeta had been laughing at him. Sure enough, he was still laughing.

"You did this!" shouted the great Lord Frieza. "And for that, I will kill you—and do it right, this time!"

Vegeta laughed. "You fool! You couldn't kill me the first time, and I've only become stronger since them!"

"If you're so confident, then let's settle this like civilized peo—" The giant monkey grabbed Lord Frieza and hurled him into the ground. He quickly flew up, hopefully out of its reach. "Let's settle this like civilized people. Not that that would be easy for you."

"Oh, you think you're so clever. Well, this will be sad for you, beca—" Vegeta glowed and vanished, as the locals had.

"... _What the fuck is going on?!_ " The great Lord Frieza saw the wish-dragon flying off into the sky, and the sky lightening from pitch-black to an extremely dark gray. "...No...no, no, no, _no!_ I almost had it all! Victory! Immortality! Death to all who—"

The giant monkey jumped up and slammed its fists into Frieza. He crashed into the ground, before his anger and fury erupted, releasing him in a shower of rocks and dirt. "STOP! DOING! THAT! You stupid, lying, worthless—" The monkey stomped on Frieza. "—cheating, stupid, filthy, dishonest, stupid monkey! You said you would let me power up to my full—" The monkey grabbed Frieza and shook him from side to side. "—to my full power! _Let me power up!_ "

The monkey roared. It didn't sound like it was roaring "Okay." It threw Lord Frieza into a high cliff.

 _How can I stop it? ...What do I know about Saiyans?_

 _They're strong, for starters. Not stronger than me, of course—_

The giant monkey annihilated the cliff Frieza had been thrown into with another mouth-blast. Frieza flew out of the blast as quickly as he could, before floating above the beast.

 _Right. Um, they really like fighting. They turn into monkeys, which is the really important thing...wait, didn't Vegeta say something about their tails?_

The giant monkey continued to send blasts into the sky, followed by giant energy-shadows like the normal-sized Saiyan had. They weren't more powerful, but they were much harder to dodge.

 _If I cut off its tail, would it turn back?_

 _It's the only idea I have. Now, what do I have for cutting things?_ The brilliant Lord Frieza swooped down, charging an energy disc to throw at the monkey's tail. He narrowly dodged a swinging paw, before throwing it. The monkey lifted a leg above the disc, not realizing its true target: the oversized tail.

The monkey screamed as its tail as cleanly severed from its body. It began to shrink in size, returning to its normal Saiyan shape, this time without any clothing.

The inevitably-triumphant Lord Frieza cackled in joy. "Your last trump card has failed you, monkey."

"My last what? And why do you look so beaten up? You're energy's a lot weaker than it was."

"Don't play dumb, though it must come naturally to—"

"And what happened to my clothes? Did I die?"

"Not yet."


	5. Denouement! The End of the Shards?

Upon reflection, I've realized that adopting the same convention for both telepathy and internal thoughts is not a wise decision. I have decided to underline telepathic conversations, since we don't use underlines much. I intend to edit previous chapters with this convention, then delete this note.

* * *

"—ause it's Ve...where the hell did Frieza go?" Vegeta, the Prince of all Saiyans, was no longer on Namek, which was a good thing (especially since it was currently on fire). Unfortunately, this meant that he couldn't kill Frieza, but this was more than balanced out by the fact that Frieza was no longer able to attack him.

Vegeta looked around. Something about the planet seemed familiar. It had green plants, with most of the ones in the immediate biomes being what passed for trees on this boring planet. There were also green, bipedal animals, which— _Oh, those are those Namekians. What the hell are they doing here? ...Probably whatever the hell_ I'm _doing here._

The Namekians were moving closer to a deep voice, which Vegeta recognized as that of the giant fat one that had given power boosts to the Earthling runts. He was sitting in the middle of a clearing in the forest, surrounded by a small mob of normal, pathetic Namekians.

"...that neither you nor your children are likely to forget. The Super Saiyan remained on Namek, as he desired. All for the best, most likely, as in his current form, he could wreak destruction on this planet which would dwarf that caused on Namek by Frieza's soldiers. You see..."

Vegeta sighed, staring at the gathered green goobers. _I cant' believe it. I was close enough to Frieza I could have spit on him...I_ should _have spit on him, come to think of it. That big dragon, Prunga or whatever, was there...if this isn't the result of some wish, then I'm as weak as Raditz. But who could possibly have benefited from being taken away from the dying planet where two beings nearly as powerful as me were battling?_

 _Well, I suppose nearly everyone. But who that was_ nearby _?_

"...to explode any minute now."

Whatever the fat one was saying agitated the rest of the Namekians. He put his hand on the head of a nearby Namekian child.

"Sadly, there is nothing I, or any of us, can do to save our planet. We should rejoice in that our race was saved from destruction..." The fat one turned his head towards where Vegeta was standing, near the edge the clearing. "All but the inhabitants of one village..." His head turned forward once more. "...but more than we could have hoped."

The child stammered. "But—but—our home!"

A Namekian Vegeta recognized as the one who was on Earth for some reason, who somehow powered up enough to fight Frieza in his third form, spoke up. "Goku _wanted_ to stay and fight? What was he thinking?"

"Was he?" asked the native Earthling woman who had been on Namek for some reason.

The Namekian continued. "Even if he does defeat Frieza, there's no way he'd survive the planet _exploding!_ " He sighed in irritation. "The only thing that makes sense is if he was trying to stay to make sure Frieza was defeated."

"Of course he did," said the voice of the half-breed, who was hidden from Vegeta's view by the Namekians. "My dad is honorable."

The Earth-woman sighed. "Or just stupid."

The Earthlings, native and otherwise, stood in mourning for a moment. The Namekians honored their loss with a moment of silence. Prince Vegeta did as well, but for only a moment.

"I understand Kakarot's choice," he said.

Everyone in the crowd turned to Vegeta in surprise. _Were they all so enthralled by the overgrown melon that they didn't notice me?_ "However much he tries to resist it, Kakarot is a Saiyan. No Saiyan can turn down a good fight. If the legends of the Super Saiyan are true, and _if_ Kakarot is their realization, his battle-lust is stronger than ever before. Nothing short of death will stop their fight...nothing. And if they both die—say, from an exploding planet—I'll _undeniably_ be the strongest in the universe."

* * *

Goku smashed Frieza into the ground. "I'm done fighting you."

Frieza looked up in surprise. "...What?"

"You're no fun to fight any more." Whatever happened while Goku was out, it hurt Frieza a lot. Parts of his skin-armor were shattered, revealing pale flesh beneath and forcing him to move more carefully. Moreover, Fireza had expended a lot of energy, not only on trying to blow up Namek and power up, but also on the more or less constant battle he had endured since Goku was still in the healing tank. Frieza was slow, weak, and fragile compared to how he was earlier. "I'm done here."

"You..." Frieza chuckled. "You're just _afraid_ , aren't you? Well, your fear may be the smartest thought you've had today, but it won't be enough for me to spa—"

Goku stepped on Frieza's head. "No. I'm done. I'm going to find a way off this planet, and you probably are, too." Goku rook his foot off of Frieza. "And once you're out there, if you know what's good for you, you'll hide away somewhere far away and won't cause trouble...because you know I'll find you, and kill you."

"You arrogant beast...you think you can kill the great and mighty Lord Frieza, ruler of the galaxy, once he hasn't been weakened by—" A bolt of energy from Goku's new aura struck the ground next to Frieza, creating a crater the size of a half-watermelon.

"No. I know I can." The Saiyan smiled. "Unless, perhaps, you train. Maybe then you'll be a threat to me. Maybe, when you start killing people again, you'll be stronger—an even better opponent." He held out his hand, transferring some of his ki to Frieza. "There. Now you should be able to find some way to safety. I mean, I'll be taking a spaceship, but didn't you say you could breathe in space?"

Frieza growled, but he was stronger. _If he tries, he should be able to get to safety._

* * *

 _Is...is that bastard showing me mercy? Me, the most powerful being in the universe? The merciless lord of the entire North Galaxy, heir to the most powerful being before him? How? How is this possible?_

 _This is a nightmare. Surely, that's the only sane explanation. Surely I'll wake up soon. Maybe I'll wake up faster if I pinch myself...Ow! No, that didn't help. So...this cruel dream is reality._

 _..._

 _Shit._

 _I could do what he said. I've never trained a lick, and Father says he and Cooler were as weak as Ginyu's last body before they "learned how to fight," even in their true forms. If I found some secluded world and got some hick-warriors to teach me, I'm sure I could increase my power greatly. With enough work, I might even be able to create some kind of enhanced form—something like Cooler's, except with fewer gaudy spikes._

 _No. I'm sure they'd like that, this Sungokoo and Cooler both. It's playing right into the filthy monkey's hands—why else would he tell me to train? Ah, I bet it's planning to take over my father's empire—_ my _empire—and then have the most powerful warriors on_ my _planets kill me when I least expect it. Or maybe it'll get Cooler to do kill me, like he's always—that's it! It was Cooler! I should have known. The Saiyan's from some backwater planet, how could it possibly have a spaceship capable of going from there to Namek? I bet Cooler's planned this ever since I blew up Planet Vegeta._

 _Cooler probably let the stupid monkey escape the—no, he probably_ directed _the whole thing, from the Saiyan being sent away at just the right instant to it ending up on a planet where Cooler could keep an eye on it, bring the greatest teachers from around the galaxy—like that Namekian! I bet that's why Raditz was sent there, to teach the "legendary Super Saiyan" the ways of Saiyan warriors! Raditz isn't dead at all, is he? He's probably just waiting for the halfbreed brat to come back so he can train_ him! _Even Vegeta could be in on it, if Cooler or Raditz told him about how I blew up his planet and killed his pathetic father!_

 _I should have known it was a conspiracy the moment I heard the Ginyus were dead. Hell, I should have suspected it from when Dodoria and Zarbon were killed by Vegeta! It was Cooler all along. Well, when I get off this planet, I'm telling Dad about_ everything _and we'll get that piece of scum wiped from the galaxy! But first...his stupid monkey catspaw needs to be dealt with._

Lord Frieza, whose brilliance and tenacity are exceeded only by his cunning and strength, generated a thin energy disc, red as the sky and as the fires which cast an eerie glow over the dying planet. "Hey, Saiyan!"

It turned around. "What is it? I'm kinda in a hurry."

"Oh, it's no problem. It's just one thing...I don't need the power you gave me. So here— _have it back!_ " Lord Frieza hurled the disk at the Saiyan. It dodged, but with a swipe of Frieza's mighty hand, the disk wheeled around to hit it from behind. But somehow, the Saiyan knew the disk was coming, and dodged so quickly it looked like he disappeared.

"What's _wrong_ with you?" the Saiyan shouted from distressingly close to Frieza's left ear. "I was trying to _help_ you!"

The great Frieza turned to it. "How _dare_ you criticize my actions?! I am the great Lord Frieza, and you're just a puppet of—"

"Watch out!"

The invincible Frieza brandished his finger at the primitive scum. "Don't you tell me what to do, you filthy mon—"

Frieza lost feeling in his legs, tail and left hand. When he looked down, he saw why—they were gone, the stumps red and wet.

"You...bastard..." Frieza fell down, and felt himself embraced by the warmth of the lava on the burning planet.

* * *

 _Why couldn't Frieza back down?_ Goku wondered. _Does he hate me? Is he so used to winning that he just can't stand losing, that he's willing to take a million-to-one shot at victory even if it means he'll almost certainly die? Or maybe he_ wants _to die...did he say something about that earlier?_

 _It doesn't matter. I need to find a way off of this planet! Where's Frieza's spaceship? It's busted, but maybe I can make something work..._

Goku!

King Kai? Is that you?

Why does everyone ask that? Look, you don't have much time. I'm not sure how long until Namek explodes—

Goku dodged a plume of fire leaping out of the surface. Frieza said it would take five minutes, but it feels like that was hours ago.

I don't know what to tell you, but...get to safety, any way you can.

Goku nodded. He saw a large saucer-like object, which looked like a spaceship that had been beaten up. _It might still be worth looking into...I mean, the inside of my spaceship looked at least that bad after I finished training, but it worked fine! At least, I hope it did..._

Upon entering, Goku saw that the inside looked even worse than he had expected. _Well, it's still not too bad...I just need to find the controls, have it fly me to Earth, and then find some place without holes to spend time._

Goku's new aura smashed a hole in a nearby wall. _It might not be that easy...I need to bring the Super Saiyan power under control somehow..._


	6. Intermission! The Z-Warriors Return

"No!"

Yamcha jumped forward. "What's wrong, King Kai?"

"God," Tenshinhan muttered, "just put your hand on his shoulder."

The Kai turned around after a moment, facing the three humans on his planet. "It's really confusing when you use the word 'god' in vain. Yamcha, I've lost track of Goku."

"Does that mean he's..."

"He's almost certainly still alive. But that won't be true for long, if he doesn't get off the planet soon."

King Kai turned away from the trio. "Namek's going to blow any minute...and there goes its elder. Hopefully their new elder can guide their race into an era of peace and prosperity."

Tenshinhan nodded. "On a new planet, I'd imagine."

"Obviously. Their old one is about to blow up...and there it goes." King Kai sighed. "I can't sense Goku."

"And that's what the Namekian dragon balls are for," Tenshinhan said.

"God damn it, Tien," Yamcha exclaimed, "can't you _pretend_ to show a little respect for Goku's passing?"

"I respect Goku, but as someone literally just killing time until he comes back, I can't bring myself to respect _anyone's_ death."

"It's going to be a little more complicated than that," King Kai said. "The Namekian dragon balls can only bring someone back to life on the planet where they died."

"...Oh."

Chiaotzu hovered closer to Tenshinhan. "What's wrong, Tien?"

"It's just...death has consequence for once. It's weird."

"Can we just have a moment of silence for Goku?" Yamcha asked.

Everyone present stayed silent for the requested moment, and several more besides.

* * *

"What do you _mean_ , you can't bring Goku back?" Chi-Chi grabbed Moori, the new Namekian elder, by the shoulders and shook him.

They were still in the forest where the Namekian race, some Namekian wildlife, and the handful of non-Namekians who had still been alive on Namek were sent. A Capsule Corporation aircraft came to bring the Namekians to a temporary home on Earth, and brought friends and family of the Earthlings to reunite them for the first time in weeks. All present had the news of Goku's death and the difficulties involved bringing back Goku told by way of Moori, who was King Kai's first choice if one disregarded those unwilling to tell Chi-Chi that Goku couldn't be revived.

"Please, I-I mean no offense. It is simply a limitation of the dragon balls."

"Why?" Gohan asked. "Why can't the dragon balls bring back my dad?"

"Do you mean what's stopping them," Dr. Briefs asked, "or are you asking why these magic balls have so many arbitrary restrictions in the first place?"

Moori ignored him. "As I have said, the Namekian dragon balls are not designed to bring people back to life. They are capable of doing so, but they lack the capacity to simultaneously transport the individuals across vast distances, let alone bring back many at once."

Vegeta stood from the tree he had been leaning against. "But they _can_ transport people?"

"Are you still on Namek?"

"Can they transport dead people in one afterlife, to another?"

"...Perhaps."

"Well there you go! Wish Kakarot and the worthless baldie to Earth's afterlife, then wish them back to life. Then you can wish those people Nappa killed to life next time the Namek-balls can work again, and maybe send the Namekians to some new place where they can make a home without bothering us."

Everyone stared at Vegeta.

"What?"

"That's a very clever plan," Bulma said.

"Of course it is! What, did you think the Prince of All Saiyans was an idiot?"

Bulma laughed. "Of course not." No one else rushed to agree.

"...I see. Well, the first thing I'm going to do when Kakarot gets back is kick his ass. Which reminds me, I need to start training. I'm a bit out of practice, I should probably start with some sparring against vastly inferior opponents. It's a shame those idiots who fought me and Nappa earlier are dead."

"I'm sure we can figure something out," Bulma said. "Until then, why not stay at the Capsule Corporation compound? It's where we're taking the Namekians."

"Oh? And why should that matter to me? Because I'm an alien, and need to stay at the alien ghetto? The Prince of all Saiyans does not live in ghettoes, he rules them! And sometimes destroys them!"

"People are going to recognize you from the TV footage and stuff broadcast before you blew the reporters up," Gohan said.

Vegeta laughed. "And why should I care about their opinions?"

"You'd probably get mobbed by fans who wanted your autograph," Bulma said. "Besides, I'm sure my dad and I could whip up a gravity chamber like the one Goku trained in."

Vegeta stared at Bulma for a moment, then nodded. "Those terms seem reasonable. Let's get to this compound; you should get to work on the training rooms as soon as possible." He strode to the aircraft and began looking for the best seat.

Chi-Chi glared at Bulma, who shrugged. "Whatever works, right?"

* * *

Months passed. The Namekians grew more comfortable living on Earth, though they never felt as if the planet could become their home. Vegeta began intensive training, Gohan caught up on his studies, and the frogs at the Briefs compound became strangely organized. Not a day too soon, the Namekian dragon balls were active once more, and almost to the final, fateful day, the Z-Warriors—both those on Earth and those in the Otherworld—argued over who would be brought back to life first. In the end, it was decided that those who had only recently died should come back first. A few months later, they could wish back Tenshinhan, Chiaotzu, and Yamcha, and when Earth's dragon balls were ready, they could wish the Namekians to an uninhabited planet King Kai had found.

The dragon Porunga was summoned, and after a brief commotion, the Z-Warriors were ready to make their wishes.

"First," Bulma said, "we need to wish Krillin and Goku to Earth's afterlife."

Dende nodded, and repeated the wish to Porunga in the Namekian tongue. Porunga responded, but its eyes did not glow.

"Something's wrong," Bulma said.

"How would _you_ know?" Vegeta asked.

"I've been dealing with these things since I was sixteen, I'd like to think my intuition counts for _something_."

"She's right," Dende said. "Sort of. Porunga can't bring Goku to the Otherworld—"

Chi-Chi ran forward and grabbed Dende by the front of his robe. "What do you _mean_ , can't bring him back?"

"— _because he's alive please let me go!_ "

Chi-Chi dropped Dende. "Alive? Then...can you just wish him to come back to Earth?"

Dende nodded and quickly began speaking in Namekian. Again, Porunga replied, and again, its eyes did not glow.

"Now what?" Bulma asked.

"Porunga can't bring Goku here," Dende said. "He doesn't want to."

"What do you _mean_ , you don't want to?" Chi-Chi shouted at Porunga. It looked down at her in bemusement.

Vegeta chuckled. "She should thank your pathetic green god the dragon's more patient than me. If I were it, I'd crush her like an egg."

Dende tugged on Chi-Chi's dress. "No, wait—Porunga's willing, it's that _Goku_ doesn't want to come back!"

Chi-Chi looked down at Dende. "He doesn't? Why—Never mind, just have Porunga bring Goku back against his will!"

"It's...I...Elder Moori?

The old Namekian stepped forward. "The great dragon Porunga draws his power from me; anything beyond my power is beyond his. In particular, he cannot directly affect any being stronger than I without their consent. Goku is—"

Chi-Chi screamed. "He was always off _training_ when Gohan was a baby, then he _died_ , and now that he might have a chance to do _something_ with our son's—"

"Kakarot's not coming back?" Vegeta sighed. "I'll be hitting the gym…or something." He hovered for a moment before flying into the compound.

Gohan ran up to Dende. "Did Porunga say why Dad isn't coming back?"

Bulma sighed. "Just...have Porunga bring Krillin to Earth's afterlife, and then back to life. And then...bring Yamcha back, I guess? We can try again in four months or so. Maybe Goku will have his head out of his—butt by then."

* * *

Unfortunately, Goku's rectal-cranial inversion persisted through the months, and he remained in space, searching anyone capable of challenging him and occasionally stopping to learn new techniques. Chi-Chi kept hoping he would return, but Gohan accepted that he might never see his father again. Vegeta, on the other hand, was unable to accept never facing Kakarot, and went off in a spaceship built by the Briefs as soon as possible (to the relief of Krillin and Yamcha). Once Tenshinhan and Chiaotzu were wished back to life, the Namekians (aside from Piccolo and Kami, and one frog) were sent to a planet King Kai had identified as being similar to Namek as it had been before Frieza came, only without life aside from small plants and insects.

Life went on. While life was never boring for the Z-Warriors, little out of the ordinary occurred until the day Frieza and his father came to Earth.


	7. Time! Is This a Super Saiyan?

Trunks caught the time machine's capsule and put it in his pocket, before pulling out a phone. _Thank goodness the GPS in this works. I mean, I knew there were still working satellites in this timeline, but making a receiver which is accurate, without being able to test it...Mom's amazing._ He oriented himself, and flew towards the spot where Frieza and his father were supposed to be landing. _Of course, I don't_ know _it's accurate...I'll just have to hope so._

 _I should probably hide my energy. Speaking of which, I would have thought I'd be able to sense Frieza and Goku by now...Maybe I went back in time longer than I thought. Or maybe sensing people in outer space is just hard._ _I can sense Mom's friends, though. Well, the friends of the person who will be the mother of my counterpart in this timeline...time travel is kinda annoying. I bet those two really strong ones are Dad and Mr. Gohan._ _I should probably warn them about Frieza...though making sure I can stop him is more important._

 _This timeline sure is smelly. I bet it has something to do with all the factories and cars the cyborgs blew up. Well, if saving the world means smelling the stench of industrial pollutants, I can put up with it._

After half an hour of flying, Trunks arrived a what should have been the right spot, more or less. _Guess I'll just sit here and wait...there's Idiot Crater. Huh, I didn't know it was a crater_ before _Goku landed there._ _Mom's friends are coming. What did she say they were called? The "Z-Fighters" or something like that? Let's see...there's Mom and Dad and Mr. Gohan, of course, though I'm pretty sure he's just a kid right now. What were the others called? Krillin, Tien, Chia...tisu, Pickle-something? Why am I suddenly forgetting all of the stories Mom told me?_

 _Calm down, Trunks, calm down. It's going to be just like meeting new people who you already kinda know. Nothing to worry about. Just...the fate of this timeline in your hands and all...okay, this isn't helping. Just breathe...breathe...breathe...calm now? Good. Now, see if you can remember the Namekian's name..._

After a few minutes of failed recollection and successful relaxation, Trunks spotted several specks just above the horizon. _That must be them. There's eight of them...the Namekian, Dad, Mr. Gohan, Tien, Chiaotisu, Krillin, Yamcha...who am I forgetting? Yajerobe or whatever his name is, maybe? Or the Turtle Hermit? Well, I'll find out soon._

The specks grew into small silhouettes, then into large ones, and with a final burst of energy they landed not far from Trunks.

 _The Namekian, Dad, Yam—wait, that can't be Yamcha, he doesn't have a scar. Wait...could it be..._

Son Goku, who shouldn't have been on the planet for almost three more hours, stepped towards Trunks. He was surrounded by some kind of violent orange-red energy. _If Goku's powered up already, h_ _e must want to fight...I wanted to test his potential, but it would look bad if I attacked him. Goku'd probably kill me before I could give him the vaccine, or even tell anyone about the cyborgs!_

"Um..." _Keep calm, Trunks. They're nice people._ "Hi, I—"

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" a short, spiky-haired person demanded. _He looks like that picture of Dad Mom has...which means he's probably Dad._

"I, um..." _I can't tell them my real name, it might cause a time paradox. If those can happen...I shouldn't risk it._ "My name's Reese, and I really need to talk to S-Son Goku. In private. Please."

Goku frowned and crossed his arms. A bolt of energy from his aura struck the ground between him and Trunks, and he stepped forward.

 _Oh shit, I think I pissed off Son Goku._ Son. Goku. _What did I do wrong? What can I say?_

Son Goku stepped to one side. "Alright. Let's fly over that hill."

 _Oh thank God._

Trunks and Goku took off, leaving the others behind.

 _Okay, Trunks. Don't be nervous. He's just a normal guy...who's probably strong enough to break you in half if he decides he doesn't like you, and who didn't look like he liked you earlier..._ "So, um, you're Son Goku, right?"

"Yeah." They landed; Goku kept stepping from side to side.

"I know I said my name was Reese, but my real name is Trunks. It's nice to meet you."

"What did you need to tell me?"

"Um. A few things. But first, can you turn Super Saiyan for a moment?"

"... _Turn_ Super Saiyan?"

"Yeah. Like, transform."

"You mean, like into that giant monkey thing? I can't. I lost my tail, and for some reason senzu beans won't bring it back."

"No, I mean...um..." Trunks took a deep breath and transformed into his Super Saiyan form.

Goku's eyes widened. "Woah! What happened to your hair? It's yellow!"

"That's what happens when you turn Super Saiyan," Trunks replied. "You're _sure_ you can't do this?"

"I'm pretty sure I can't..."

"Alright. Um, power up as much as you can, I guess?"

Goku stopped stepping from side to side. He paused for a moment, his strange aura increasing in intensity, then shouted, "Kaio-ken times _twenty!_ " His red-orange aura became encased in a deep red one.

 _I don't think that was in any of Mom's stories._ "Kaio-wha—?"

Goku leaped forward and punched Trunks in the chest. Trunks let the momentum of the blow push him backwards.

"That's why you wanted me to power up?" Goku asked. "To see how well I can fight?"

"Essentia—" Trunks soared into the air as a burst of energy flowed from Goku's aura to strike at him.

"Good. I haven't had a decent fight since I fought Frieza—"

"Wait!" _I_ _need to tell him about Frieza and the cyborgs!_

"You won't fool me!" Goku quickly flew up; he and Trunks began exchanging a flurry of kicks and punches.

 _This can't be right...Son Goku's supposed to be way stronger than me! But we're at almost the same level—if anything, I'm a bit stronger! I wanted to try using my sword, but I'm afraid I'd actually hurt him..._

Trunks gathered his energy and kicked Goku in the stomach with both feet. "If you're holding back, stop it!"

"Why would I hold back?"

 _Wait, that doesn't like the—_

"Ka...me...ha..."

Trunks threw a flurry of small energy blasts at Goku, disrupting his concentration and kicking up dust, before flying down and kneeing him in the face. Goku flew out of the dust cloud and into the hillside. Trunks flew up above the prone Saiyan. "You're _sure_ you're not holding back? Because if not, I'm just going to do _this_ —" _Sorry, Goku and Mr. Gohan._ Trunks zoomed down as quickly as he could, landing with one foot directly between Goku's legs. "—again."

" _You stay away from my dad!_ "

 _Is that Goh—_

As Trunks had guessed, Gohan came out of the sky and began pummeling Trunks's face. Trunks blocked the blows with ease. _You taught me well, Gohan, and your past self wasn't nearly as strong as you. Isn't. Whatever._

"Gohan!" Goku called out weakly, pulling himself from the hillside. "It's okay!"

Gohan stopped. "...Are you sure, Dad?"

"Yeah! I wanted to fight him, and sometimes that means you lose." Goku floated slowly over to Trunks, and began shifting from side to side again. "Once."

Trunks couldn't believe what had happened. "You...you really weren't holding anything back?"

"No. That was a good fight. I'd like to have another go, once I've trained to—"

"If _I_ can beat you, you've got a lot of training to do. Earth isn't—Gohan, go back with the others." _It feels weird to tell him what to do._

"Why?"

"I need to tell your father things. Secret things the others can't know."

"I'm at _least_ as good at keeping secrets as—"

"Gohan?" Goku said. "He told you to leave. _Leave._ "

 _And that's_ definitely _not how Mr. Gohan described Goku._

Gohan had his own concerns about his father's behavior, but showed them only in a brief glance he gave Goku as he flew back to the others.

"I..." Trunks's breath caught in his throat. "The reason I didn't want to tell the others my real name is that I'm from the future. I'm Bulma's son, actually."

"And you wanted to fight me?" Goku asked.

"Well...no. I wanted you to fight. Earth's going to go through some trials from people more powerful than anyone else to threaten it before. First, probably any minute now, Frieza's going to come back with his father and—"

"What, _again?_ "

"...What do you mean, 'again'?"

"A couple weeks or so ago, Frieza and his dad came to Earth, looking for me. It's why I came back, actually—I really wanted to fight them again. It was kinda sad, though—Frieza was put together with some new robot parts, but they weren't very good, so he wasn't as strong as he was before."

 _What? I thought Frieza was_ stronger _after becoming a cyborg! ...This timeline is weird..._

"I...well, you killed them both?"

"Yeah. Vegeta had to help this time, but we beat them up."

 _What?_

"Well...great! That's...different than my timeline. Um, the next thing is a bigger problem. On March 12th in three years, at ten o'clock AM, two..." _Mom and Mr. Gohan both said Goku wasn't very book-smart, I should dumb this down a little._ "...two people partly made out of mechanical parts attack an island just west of South City. They kill almost everyone—Vegeta, Krillin, Tien, Chiatisu—"

"Chiaotzu."

"Oh. Chiaotzu, and...what's the Namekian's name? Pickle-something?"

"Do you mean Piccolo?"

"Yeah, him. They knock down Karin's Tower—"

"Korrin's."

"Sorry, my mom hasn't wanted to tell most of these stories in years. And they've killed most of the Earth's civilians and basically everyone in the military or government. Gohan and I were basically the only warriors left on the side of good...until, well, they...killed him, too. And...I couldn't beat them, either." Trunks paused.

 _Be strong. There's nothing you can do about the past...future...whatever! Just tell him the rest of the stupid story!_

"Wait," Goku said. "What about me and Yamcha?"

"You both died before the androids came."

"What? How did I die?"

"It was something no warrior can learn to fight...a heart virus. Here, I brought medicine for it." Trunks pulled the bottle of pills from his jacket pocket and handed it to Goku. "If you take this, you should be able to fight of the virus." _If he gets infected with it in this timeline._ "And you need to start training, as fast as possible. You _need_ to be able to turn Super Saiyan, not just—whatever _that_ is. Then, _hopefully_ , you'll be strong enough to save the world!"

Goku shrugged. "These android things...they're stronger than Frieza? Stronger than you?"

"Much, much stronger."

Goku smiled. "I'll train and fight them."

"Good. I'll...I'm not sure. Um, that's all."

Goku nodded, then flew back to Gohan and the others.

Trunks watched Goku until he vanished over the hill. _I was going to go three years forward...but if Goku's this weak, if he can't even go Super Saiyan...will three years of training be enough for him and the others? I can't risk it. I should spend this time training, too. Besides, it means I can spend time with Dad, and maybe even babysit myself and teach my teacher. How many people can say they've done that?_

 _But I really need to train..._

Trunks followed Goku, trying to figure out a cover story. As he did, he noticed the Namekian—Piccolo—glancing at him, and then Vegeta.


	8. Plead! Will Son Goku Stay on Earth?

Vegeta watched Bulma's father repairing the spaceship. Vegeta and Bulma had explained to him about the androids which would be coming in a few years, and Vegeta told him that he and Kakarot would need to spaceship repaired so they could train.

He heard a voice behind him. "Why are you going back into space? Aren't you going to fight the androids?"

 _It's that boy from earlier…Reeves or something._ "Of course I'm fighting the androids. But I need to train first."

"Why can't you train on _Earth?_ "

Vegeta sighed. _This kid's hopeless._ "Kakarot and I will spend most of our time sparring, but we'll be looking for other strong warriors. If we come across a strong enough alien, we fight it. It's better than just sparring with the same person for three straight years."

"You don't _have_ to just spar with Goku. You can—"

"Who could challenge me? The Namekian's nothing next to a Saiyan warrior, and Kakarot's son is still just a kid."

"If you won't spar with them—"

Vegeta laughed. "Oh, you think I'd dirty my hands fighting _you?_ You're only worth even thinking about because of that stupid thing you do that makes your hair golden and spiky."

"I can show you how—"

"Hah! Like I'd _want_ to learn a dirty trick from some lowborn half-breed from a broken shell of a world. I can get strong enough to scrap these androids, _without_ your help."

"But last time, they _killed_ you and—"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, but _this_ time I know they're coming." He smiled. "And now I'll train as hard as I can, and I'll be able to destroy them."

"My mother said you were training all the time, no matter what you knew was coming."

The smiled was gone. "Oh, and I suppose your mother knew all about me? Did the Prince of all Saiyans _befriend_ some weak human woman who gave birth to you?"

"…Not really."

"I thought so. Well, your mother was right about one thing, I _do_ try to keep in shape. But Kakarot was dead in your time, no? With Kakarot here, I'll be able to train _far_ more efficiently than I ever could on my own." "But I can't do _anything_ if you're wasting my time with your complaints. Be honest, you're only holding me back because you want me to train you."

Reeves sighed and stared at the ground. "…I _would_ like that, actually."

"Well, too bad! I'm leaving with Kakarot in—old man, how long until you've finished the repairs?"

"I've barely started!" he yelled back. "It'll take about a day to get it spaceworthy, if nothing's broken."

Reeves turned back to Vegeta. "Look, how about this. There's not much point in training if Goku's not with you, right?"

 _He is_ not _doing what it looks like he's doing._

"If I can convince him to train here on Earth, will you stay, too?"

 _He's doing exactly that._ Vegeta silently glared at Reese.

"…I…I'm going to go talk to Goku now."

"Knock yourself out. But if Kakarot's staying on Earth, _he_ can train you. Don't come begging."

* * *

Trunks hurried away from his father and grandfather— _Well, this timeline's version of them_ —as quickly as he could. This was going all wrong.

Goku was supposed to be a Super Saiyan; instead, he was just a normal Saiyan with a weird technique…or something. His father, Vegeta, was supposed to be a great man; instead, he was a self-centered jerk. Frieza was supposed to arrive _today_ ; instead, he showed up last week!

 _What the hell is wrong with this timeline?_

Trunks heard someone behind him. He turned around as quickly as he could. "Oh! Hi, ah, Bulma."

"Hey. Good to see you around."

"Um, yeah."

"You were over in the spaceship room with Vegeta and Dad?"

"Yeah. I was wondering…is there something….going on with him?"

Bulma sighed. "Dad's been in a bad mood lately. Capsule Corp's had a monopoly on most cutting-edge tech for longer than I've been alive, but a new company called N Industries has been making some big advances lately. Dad says he can't remember the last time he had to worry about profitability instead of just inventing whatever he thought was important or interesting." She frowned. "I don't suppose these androids were made by N Industries?"

"No, they were made by Dr. Gero, a scientist from the defunct Red Ribbon Army. And, um, I was actually trying to ask about Vegeta."

"Oh! Why, what did he do?"

"Well, he's…he was planning to train with Goku in space. And he was…well…" Trunks absent-mindedly scratched the back of his head. _If I say anything_ too _bad, I might drive Mom away from Dad and stop myself from being born…but I don't want to lie to Mom more than I have to…_ "He seemed harsh and self-centered."

Bulma smiled a little. "He is that, I suppose."

"I'd always heard he was aloof, but I never imagined…this."

"I guess Vegeta just needs to be seen to be believed."

Trunks shrugged and looked away.

"So…" Bulma took a step closer to Trunks. "Do you need a place to stay? We have room here."

"I—ah—I'll keep that in mind, it's very nice of you. I need to go talk to Goku, so, um—"

Bulma chuckled. "Alright, go on then. See you soon?"

"I…maybe?" Trunks hurried away from Bulma. Something about how this timeline's version of his mother was acting towards Trunks unnerved him…

* * *

Chi-Chi heard a knock at her front door. She put down the shirt she was repairing and opened it.

 _Young man, hard look in his eyes, sword…_ "What do you want?"

"Um—I—I'm Reese, I met your—um, are you, ah, Chi-Chi?"

"I am. You're the boy from the future?"

"Um—yes?"

Chi-chi smiled. "Sorry. Normally, when armed strangers show up at my door, they're here to kidnap my son."

Reese glanced at his sword. "Ah. Does that…happen often?"

"More often than you might think. So! Why did you come here?"

"I wanted to talk with Goku, ma'am?"

"Calm down, I'm not going to bite your head off. Goku's out back, training with Gohan."

A woody _thunk_ rang out.

" _GOKU!_ " Chi-Chi shouted. "I _TOLD_ YOU, IF YOU BREAK ONE OF THE TREES, YOU AREN'T TRAINING ANOTHER _MINUTE_ UNTIL YOU GET A REPLACEMENT FROM THE FOREST! Ahem. Sorry about that."

"It's—um—"

Chi-Chi sighed. "It's just—Goku hasn't been the same since he died."

"…I…see?"

"He used to be—I shouldn't bother you with my problems."

"I'd actually like to hear a little. This timeline…isn't exactly what I'd imagined."

"Alright, if that's what you want. Can I get you something to drink? Tea? Coffee? Milk?"

"Um…I'll try some tea?"

Chi-Chi nodded, before walking to the kitchen and filling a kettle. After a pause, Reese sat down on the couch and glanced around the living room.

Once the water was heating up, Chi-Chi sat down in a chair roughly opposite where Reese was. "Thank you for visiting. We normally don't get many visitors, aside from Goku's friends getting help for their next fight and the occasional salesman."

"Um, you're welcome? I…Goku isn't anything like what I expected."

"Oh? Did you meet the Goku from your time?"

"Well…technically, but I was a baby. So I don't remember him. It's just—my mom told me a lot of stories about him and the others."

"Ah."

"She—it sounded like Goku was a really strong, really nice, really… _heroic_ person."

Chi-Chi couldn't help but smile, remembering the Goku she married and who raised Gohan. The Goku she knew before he died.

"Um—what's—"

"Nothing. Goku _used_ to be like that. I only met him a few times before we married, but everything I knew about him was _perfect_. He was a good husband and a good father; even if he was still half-uncivilized and didn't always know what to do, he worked hard to do the right thing. Then…" Chi-Chi sighed.

"Then?"

"Goku's brother kidnapped Gohan, and Piccolo killed both of them and kidnapped Gohan. After they beat Vegeta, Gohan immediately ran off to Namek to help get dragon balls to bring everyone back, and Goku followed him." Chi-Chi sighed. "I told myself that everything was fine, nothing had changed…but..."

Reese flinched as the kettle started whistling. "Is…is it supposed to do that?"

Chi-Chi forced a laugh. "No, it's supposed to do that. I'll finish the tea, okay?" She quickly stood up and hurried into the kitchen.

She brooded a bit as she poured the water into two cups and added tea leaves. _But I'd lost them._ Gohan wasn't too far gone, thank Kami, but he was more focused on fighting ever since he finished training with Piccolo. And Goku…he rushed from the Otherworld to fight Vegeta, then to Namek once he recovered, then to distant corners of the universe after that. He only came home to fight Frieza again!

Chi-Chi managed to get Goku to stick around then, but he wasn't anything like he had been. He still cared about Chi-Chi and Gohan, but now he cared more about training and finding challenge. Goku didn't want to help with housework or Gohan the way he used to. Chi-Chi had to push to get Goku to do much of anything. In case that wasn't enough, Goku was surrounded by some destructive energy, which meant that she couldn't get close to him or even let him in the house! Chi-Chi didn't know what to do…so she tried to do what she used to do for him in the early days, as much as she could.

As Chi-Chi brought the tea to Reese, she tried to clear her mind. "Here you go, Reese! If the tea's too hot, I can add milk."

"Thanks." Reese took a sip and winced. "I…I think I'd like some milk."

"Alright then! Just give me a moment." Chi-Chi hurried back to the kitchen, grabbed the milk, and walked back, before pouring milk into Reese's cup.

Reese sipped the tea. "It's…it's good," he said. "Um…"

"Is something wrong?"

Reese looked into his cup. "When we were talking about Goku, you seemed…uncomfortable. Is something wrong?"

Chi-Chi glanced towards the back of the house, towards where Goku was training. "It's just…I…"

"It feels like you lost him, and you don't want to think about it?"

Chi-Chi looked back at Reese. "Why do you say that?"

"I…a few years ago…someone important to me died. I still don't like to think about how they're…not there anymore."

"…It's not that bad, but…he's not the boy I fell in love with or the man I married. He's changed into this…this stranger who I don't know, and I don't know if I'll ever get the old Goku back."

"I…I don't know how much it'll help you, but…if you know Goku's…different, and that you can't…fix it…"

"Put your thoughts together," Chi-Chi said softly, " _then_ talk."

Reese nodded. He took a few sips of tea and a few deep breaths. "...It seems to me that if you know you can't…win, then you shouldn't fight. Try to think of something else you can do to…do it. I wish G—the Gohan from my time realized that…"

Chi-Chi frowned. "You're saying I should just…accept that Goku's different, don't try to fix him, and focus on something else?"

"I—you don't _have_ to—just—maybe it won't apply here—"

"It's alright. I appreciate the advice. Thank you, Reese."

"Thanks—ah, you're welcome." Reese took another drink of tea. "I—I should probably talk to Goku at some point?"

"Go ahead. It was nice talking with you."

"It was nice talking with you, too." Reese quickly swallowed the rest of his tea and walked to the door.

Chi-Chi took a sip of tea. _He seems like a nice boy. He could stand to calm down, though._

* * *

Gohan tried to duck beneath his father's guard, but his shin struck Gohan in the chest. Gohan landed on his feet, but Goku didn't let up the assault, kicking at his son. Gohan dropped prone and hovered an inch off the ground, sliding through the air underneath Goku. Gohan stood and threw several energy blasts at his father, who released bursts of energy from his aura to deflect them.

"Watch it!" someone behind Gohan shouted. "You almost hit me—and your house!"

Gohan turned, but his father planted a foot in his back before he could get more than a glimpse of the stranger.

"Goku!" the stranger said. "It looks like you've—um—reached a stopping point! Do you have a moment?"

Goku took his foot off of Gohan, who rolled over. _I never thought I'd say this, but I miss Mr. Piccolo's training._ Goku stepped forward, taking his arms from behind his back and putting them in what looked like a fighting stance.

"What do you want?"

Gohan sat up and turned to the stranger. _It's Reese. I wonder why he's here. I hope he's going to train me…_

"Y—I'm not sure you should go into space to train."

"And why not?"

"I think—you and Vegeta should stay on Earth."

 _Oh no,_ Gohan thought. _I don't think I can take three years of_ this… It wasn't that he didn't want to spend more time with his father, it was that he didn't want to get beaten up like this. _I want to be strong, but I don't want it this badly…_

"Why?" Goku demanded.

"What do you mean why? We can't have two of the best warriors on Earth just _leave!_ " Reese yelled. "What if someone came to Earth while you were gone? What if your spaceship breaks down and you can't get back? Can I even trust you'll come back?" Reese flinched at his last statement.

Goku frowned. "You'll be here. Vegeta and I can push it from inside like I did on Namek. And of course. These android things should be a great fight."

"Why do you want to go to space in the _first_ place?"

"To fight aliens and use the spaceship's gravity chamber."

"I—" Reese paused. "I'm sure more strong aliens will come to Earth than you'll find by wandering around randomly in space. Space is big, and Earth is a nice planet."

Gohan's father stared at Reese.

"And you can train in a gravity chamber on Earth, too!" Reese added. "I bet that if you went over to the Capsule Corp compound, you could train in the spaceship's gravity chamber with Vegeta—and maybe even ask Dr. Briefs to make a stronger one!"

Goku frowned. "He can make a stronger one?"

"If he doesn't have to make it small and light to fit in a spaceship, and if he can hook it up to his compound's power grid? I'd imagine so."

Goku nodded. "I shouldn't waste any time. Goodbye, Gohan."Goku jumped over his house, and a minute later took off towards West City. Gohan watched him fly away.

"I didn't expect that to work," Reese muttered. "Gohan…are you okay?"

"I think so?" Gohan stood up. He felt sore where his father had been kicking him, but other than that he was fine. "Yeah."

"That's good, at least. Um…I think your dad's going to be training with Vegeta a lot. When you recover, would you like to train with me?"

"…If Mom's fine with it. And I don't think she'd be fine with you getting in the way of my studies, but other than that it should be fine."

Reese smiled. "Good. Do you think your mother would mind if I slept on your couch? I need a place to sleep."


	9. Conflict? Z-Warriors Commence Training

Yamcha sighed. "I wish the Saiyans weren't hogging the gravity ship."

Dr. Briefs laughed. "What would you do if they _weren't_ using it? And pass me the five-sixteenths socket wrench."

Yamcha rummaged through a pile of tools. "I'd train, of course! Here you go."

"That's a five- _eighths_ socket wrench, you musclebound hick!"

" _Dad!_ " Bulma called from the other side of the room. "Be polite! He's still my friend."

"Fine. That's a five-eighths wrench, you individual who can't tell a five-eighths wrench from a five-sixteenths wrench." Dr. Briefs tossed the wrench back into the pile. "And I don't think you could handle high-gravity training at that level. If you tried to train in a hundred times Earth's gravity, you'd be crapping out your own spine before I could say 'I'm not that kind of doctor'!"

"Please. I'm at least a thousand times as strong as a normal guy, I should be able to handle a hundred times Earth's gravity _easily_. I could handle five hundred times as easily as you could handle…um…two times?" Yamcha handed another wrench to Dr. Briefs.

"I don't see me doing any athletic activities in double Earth gravity, kid, let alone fighting. That one's a _three_ -sixteenths socket wrench. See? It has a three and a sixteen here on the side."

"This would be a lot easier if you kept your tools organized. And I don't see you doing athletics in _single_ Earth gravity, doc."

"Yamcha!" Bulma shouted. " _Don't_ make me come over there!"

Dr. Briefs sighed. "'Make the spaceship, Gramps! Make a bigger gravity chamber, Gramps! You're a lazy old man, Gramps!' I don't have to put up with this."

"I'm not happy about it either, Dr. Briefs. Like I said, I'd like to be training to fight the robot people Reese told you about—is this the one you're looking for?—instead of acting as a lab assistant."

"That's a breaker bar, not a socket wrench! I'm not exactly impressed with your lab assistant work, but from what Bulma's been telling me about your track record, you're not much good at fighting either."

Bulma sighed and put down her tools and walked over to the men.

"Oh, that is _low!_ "

"But is it _incorrect?_ I think you just have to accept that you're not going to do anything to stop them and find what ways you can to help the others save the world. Hell, why do you think I'm taking time out of my day to make these frivolous toys?"

Bulma jabbed a socket wrench at her father. "Here, Dad. Yamcha, if you don't want to help, why don't you go train with Tenshinhan? Maybe see if Chiaotzu wants to help over here."

"Chiaotzu couldn't tell what size a wrench is without counting on his fingers!"

"That doesn't even make any sense!"

"Well…well…" Yamcha stood up. "Maybe I will! Maybe then you'll realize how useful I am!"

Dr. Briefs sighed. "You can't even tell a breaker bar from a socket wrench."

"Shut up! It's an honest mistake! So what if I'm not the most mechanically inclined?"

"What do you think you're doing here?" Dr. Briefs asked. "Writing poetry?"

Bulma chuckled. "He's not very good at that, either. Not for lack of trying…"

"Oh, that is the _last_ straw. Ha ha, Yamcha got killed by a saibaman! Ha ha, Yamcha's covered in coolant! Ha ha, Yamcha can't tell two identical types of wrenches apart!"

"Breaker bars are _not_ iden—"

"Shut up! I'm going to train with Tien, and _no_ I'm not sending Chiaotzu here!" Yamcha stormed out of the room.

Bulma glanced at the pile of wrenches. "Yamcha's right about one thing, though. You probably _should_ organize your tools."

" _I_ can find the tools I need, I don't know why Yamcha's having so much trouble."

"Oh, really? Can you find, say, a 20-watt cordless soldering iron?"

"Naturally!" Dr. Briefs began rummaging through the tools. "Ah…no, that's a 15-watt…um…miniature air hammer…here we go!"

"That took almost a whole minute! If you had your tools organized—"

"Hey, do you guys know where Puar is?" Yamcha yelled. "I don't want to leave without him!"

Dr. Briefs snapped his fingers. "Of course! Puar would be the _perfect_ assistant! He could just transform into whatever tool I needed!"

Bulma sighed and went back to her work.

[line break]

Tenshinhan leaned against a large rock. "You really _did_ get stronger on Namek. I'm impressed."

Krillin chuckled as he lay back on a path of grass which survived their sparring. "You'll need to train a lot to catch back up to me!"

"I wouldn't say a _lot_. And don't get comfortable. Master Shen was a heartless bastard, but he taught me and Chiaotzu some effective training methods."

"Ha! Master Roshi didn't teach us anything _but_ training methods!"

"That doesn't seem very…effective."

"Hey, it worked. Look at Goku!"

"He's a Saiyan."

"So's Vegeta, and he was probably trained by the best tutors their king could find."

"…Point taken." Tien closed his eyes and ran through his match with Krillin in his mind, searching for times he could have dodged, blows he could have landed; slowly, he constructed a way he could have won the fight, studying it for lessons on how to improve his combat technique.

"Hey, Tien?"

"What?"

"Have you been thinking about Reese?"

Tien sighed and opened his eyes. "What _about_ Reese?"

"Well, he says that thing where he gets yellow hair and beat Goku up was Super Saiyan, but I thought that Goku was a Super Saiyan, and he doesn't look anything like that."

"So?"

"I was thinking…who else do we know that's normally nice, but gets violent and good at beating people up when her hair turns yellow?"

"…You don't think Reese is Launch's son, do you?"

"It makes sense. Doesn't it?"

"I guess. And if he thinks it's a Saiyan thing, it means she found some nice Saiyan to settle down with—"

"A what Saiyan?"

Tien looked behind him. "Oh, hey Yamcha. Did Bulma finally kick you out of her house?"

"What? No, I decided I was sick of how I was being treated and left!"

Tien smirked. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

"Yeah! …So, what were you talking about?"

"I think Reese is Launch's kid," Krillin said.

"The blonde hair?"

"Yeah."

"Huh. I hadn't thought about it…but it makes sense. I'd expect him to have a third eye, though."

Tien shivered. "Ugh. Not that he's _my_ and Launch's son, that he's the son of Launch and a Saiyan!"

Yamcha chuckled. "Where would she find another Saiyan? Vegeta and Goku are the only ones left! I mean, aside from Gohan, but wouldn't that be kinda weird?"

Tien counted Saiyans on his fingers. "Raditz August of last year, that pirate in December, Nappa and Vegeta last month…and that's just the ones who came to Earth in the last year and a bit. Earth's practically a Saiyan magnet."

"…Okay, you've got a point. I hope it's a nice Saiyan like Goku, and not one out to kill us all like…"

"All the others," Tenshinhan finished. "Yeah."

Yamcha swallowed. "…So, Krillin, I'd've thought you'd train at Kame House?"

Krillin shrugged. "Right now, there's nothing I can do there except throw kamehamehas at the ocean, and the Royal Department of Fish and Wildlife told me to stop that. They say it's bad for the tuna. And since the power-up Guru gave me, just about everyone's a lot weaker than me, except Piccolo and the Saiyans, and they're way too strong. Tien can come close, but a lot of his best techniques tire him out a lot."

Yamcha laughed. "Really, Tien? I thought you'd gotten more out of King Kai's training than that. I know _I_ did. You might be stronger than you were before fighting the Saiyans, Krillin, but so am I. I'm ready to spar if you are!"

Krillin levitated himself off of the ground, floating up several feet. "Sure. I might not be at a hundred percent right now, but that should give you a fighting chance."

"As if! But I'll hold back for you."

Tien raised his left and middle eyebrows. "Yamcha, you _can_ still sense energy, right?"

Yamcha shifted into a fighting stance. "I'd have thought you'd learn by now that raw strength isn't everything, Tien."

Krillin elbowed Yamcha in the gut, driving him to the ground.

Tenshinhan smiled. "And I'd have thought you'd learn by now that it's still important."

[line break]

Reese brought a pile of dirty bowls over to the sink. "The food was delicious, Chi-Chi. Thank you!"

"Don't mention it. Like I said, it's nice to have company over." Chi-Chi chuckled. "You have quite a healthy appetite. It's pretty clear you're part Saiyan."

Reese blushed and stared at the ground. "Um, sorry."

"It was no trouble at all! I'm used to cooking for Goku and Gohan. Thank you for offering to help with the dishes." _He's such a polite boy. His parents raised him well._

Reese began rinsing out one of the bowls. "It's really no trouble, ma'am."

"Are you sure?" a third voice asked. "You should probably be training."

Chi-Chi spun around. Standing just outside the window with his arms crossed was Piccolo. "What are _you_ doing here?" she demanded.

"Goku went to train with Vegeta. I figured that Gohan could use someone to train him until his dad comes back…if he does."

Chi-Chi stormed over to the window. "Well, for your information, Reese is training Gohan, so we don't need your help!"

Piccolo smirked. "Really? That must be an exotic future training technique. It looks just like he's simply washing dishes while Gohan studies."

"Gohan doesn't need to be training every hour of the day, you know!"

Piccolo shook his head. "These androids…they would kill Vegeta. He's almost as strong as Goku, and he normally trains as much as he can get away with. If we're going to have any chance of surviving, we need everyone to train as hard as they can. Vegeta, Goku, Gohan, me…Reese."

Reese sighed but didn't look up from the sink. "Sorry, Mr. Piccolo…I promised I wouldn't get in the way of Gohan's studies. And that I'd help wash dishes."

Piccolo frowned. "I see. Well, luckily _I_ didn't make any promises like that."

"Would it be that bad to not train Gohan all the time?" Reese asked. "I mean, from the stories I've heard, Goku's amazing! I'm sure that if he can figure out how to turn Super Saiyan, he'll be able to win easily!"

Piccolo shook his head. "Goku is amazing, yes. So is Vegeta. So am I. Goku's the strongest of us, but not by _that_ much. If the androids could crush all of us together so easily in the future…we all need to be in top form."

"If training's so important, why are you wasting this time talking with us?" Chi-Chi demanded.

"I know the Multi-Form technique," Piccolo explained. "Two of me are sparring in the forest. Look, Chi-Chi, if you won't let me train Gohan, at least let me check his technique."

"What do you take me for? 'Check his technique'? Don't think I don't know you're planning to kidnap him again the moment I turn my back."

"Considering Reese's training techniques, I think it would be for the best."

Reese sighed again. "I'm standing _right here_."

"I know. Prove me wrong."

"I will! Once I'm finished with the dishes and Gohan's finished with his studying."

"What could Gohan possibly be studying that's relevant to _the world-ending androids?_ "

"Well, um—technically, they're cyborgs. I just simplified it a bit for Goku, since my mom said he was, ah…"

"Yeah, I know him. That doesn't matter, Reese. Cyborgs or androids, they'll _kill us all_ if we're not ready! When peace returns, Gohan can study for peace…but this isn't the time." Piccolo sighed. "Look, how about a compromise. I want Gohan to get better at fighting androids or cyborgs or whatever they are. You want Gohan to learn. So how about Gohan put down his books on insects or tree birds or the history of medicine or whatever useless junk you're having him learn, and have Professor Reese teach some applied robotics?"

Reese put a large dish in the cabinet with a _clunk_. "Teach what now?"

"Tell him about the androids. Their strengths, their weaknesses, how they work, anything you know."

 _That's just as worthless as training! Worse, actually—at least if Gohan trains now, he won't need to train as much if another threat comes up that only Saiyans can handle._

Reese grabbed another bowl. "I…I could do that."

Chi-Chi frowned. "Hold on. Reese, how much do you know about electronics? In general?"

"Plenty! My mom taught me, she's the best in the world with tech. Um, in my time, I mean, I hear the Briefses are peerless in this time."

"Could you teach Gohan about electronics in general, including what applies to the cyber people?"

"Um, sure? Should I finish the dishes first?"

"Lecture while you wash," Piccolo commanded. "We don't have time to waste. Speaking of which—" Piccolo flew off towards the woods.

Chi-Chi considered having Gohan continue studying his textbooks anyways, but he came out of his room. "Reese is going to be teaching me about robots?"

"You were eavesdropping?" Chi-Chi asked coldly.

Gohan stared at his feet. "Sorry, Mom. I felt Mr. Piccolo's energy, and…wanted to know what he came here to talk about."

Chi-Chi sighed and leaned against a wall. "Well, no harm done. I was about to tell you anyway. Reese?"

The boy from the future focused on the bowl he was washing.

"Reese?"

"Sorry, I'm just trying to think about what to start with. Um…"

[line break]

Vegeta blocked one punch from Kakarot, then another, and a dozen more in sequence, each time taking a step backwards and to the side, trying to move backwards in a circle and search for an opening and block Kakarot's blows. The prince hoped that, perhaps, once his strange Super Saiyan aura ran out, Vegeta could strike…

Too soon, he found himself backed against the wall of the small gravity chamber. With no room left to back up, Vegeta felt Kakarot's blows land harder on his forearms. Worse, Kakarot realized the position Vegeta was in, and stepped up his attack, using reserves of strength he had conserved through the entire match. Vegeta, on the other hand, had held nothing back, and had nothing left to rely on. Kakarot's punches began slipping past Vegeta's guard, or simply hitting his arms hard enough to cause damage.

Within a quarter-minute, Vegeta had collapsed. He suspected he had a broken nose and at least one black eye. Kakarot simply hopped away and silently began solo combat exercises, letting Vegeta struggle to his feet and out of the room.

Vegeta took a deep breath once he was in the weak Earth gravity. _It isn't fair. I am the Prince of all Saiyans, the last of the royal line!_ I _should be the Super Saiyan, not that low-class hick! Why? What's so special about Kakarot?_

Vegeta slammed open the door to the Earth woman's residential complex and looked around, trying to remember where the nearest cleansing chamber was. _Down this hall, turn left there, second door to the right after the kitchen? I hope so. I won't let the Earthlings see me in this condition…not until I know what condition it is, at least._

Vegeta heard footsteps before he even reached the kitchen. "Goku? Vegeta? Oh, it's—what the hell happened to you?"

"Seven bouts against Kakarot," Vegeta muttered as he turned around.

"Geez, he didn't hold back, did he? Your armor's ruined, and your _face_..."

Vegeta crossed his arms. "Save your pity, Earthling. I hardly see how you could even start to—"

The Earth woman crossed her arms back. "It's not pity, it's concern. If you keep going like this, you could kill yourself before the androids even get here!"

"And what would _you_ care?"

The Earth woman glared at Vegeta. "You're one of the strongest people on the planet. If you die, the world's more likely to be destroyed by androids." She started walking towards Vegeta. "I'm not sure what you're thinking, but that's it. Come on." The Earth woman grabbed Vegeta's arm.

"Where are you taking me?"

"To get you healed. We've got a little hospital at the compound."

"Why—"

"You'd be amazed how often something me, Dad, or our employees are working on explodes." The Earth woman started leading Prince Vegeta to the hospital.

"I don't need your primitive Earth medicine, Earth woman."

"Don't just call me 'woman,' man. My _name_ is Bulma. And I'm sorry we don't have any of your advanced space medicine, but you need _something_."

"…Fine. But I have one request, Earth woman."

" _Bulma._ "

"I have one request, Earth Bulma. Training consumes much energy, and I—"

The Earth woman sighed. "I can get you something to eat. Don't worry."


	10. Shock! Problems For the Saiyans

**One Day After Trunks's Arrival**

"Mr. Piccolo?" Gohan said. "Why are you still here?" _Mom's not going to be happy about this_ …

"I'm here to observe Reese's training. Even if your mother would rather have me leave you alone, you are still my pupil. I would rather not see all my hard work go to waste by having bad habits taught to you."

Reese smiled. "I think you'll be pleasantly surprised, Mr. Piccolo."

"Oh?"

"Let's just say you'll probably recognize some of the training techniques I use."

"Are we just doing normal training?" Gohan asked. "I thought I'd be learning how to fight cyborgs. I mean, they aren't warriors like any I've ever fought before—aren't they basically just human brains in robot bodies?"

Reese leaped at Gohan foot-first; Gohan barely managed to dodge. Reese continued the assault, with a flurry of punches that Gohan furiously tried to block.

"Are we—" One of the punches slipped through Gohan's guard, knocking him backwards.

Reese helped Gohan up. "All things considered, not bad. You're a little rusty, but we can fix that."

Piccolo sighed and crossed his arms. "You've made two mistakes already. One, you're too easy on him. You're deliberately holding back, aren't you?"

"I'm significantly stronger than Gohan," Reese said defensively. "If I went all-out, I could easily beat him with my hands tied behind my back. But I'm not here to beat up Gohan, I'm here to teach him."

"Pain is the best teacher."

"My master said the same thing," Reese replied. "But it seemed to me that I learned more from him teaching me than him beating me up. I can't blame him. Just about everyone he knew was killed by unstoppable cyborgs; pain was his only teacher for a while. What's your excuse?"

Piccolo waited for Reese to finish, then went on as if he hadn't said anything. "Two, you didn't answer his question. And I'm curious, too. I can't help but wonder if the reason we all…will have been killed in your time is because we didn't know what we were getting into."

Reese shrugged. "It's not that they're different than the people you fought before. They're just a lot stronger."

"Why?" Gohan asked. "I—I mean, they all fought the way they did because they could control their ki, but robots don't have ki. And from what Mr. Piccolo taught me, I don't think a disembodied brain could produce much."

Piccolo smiled. "You remember that much, at least."

"The cyborgs aren't _just_ brains in robot bodies," Reese said. "My mother came across some notes about them when we searched Dr. Gero's lab. She was looking for lab equipment and such. We don't know much, but…apparently Gero's colleague Dr. Flappe invented nanobots that act like organic cells, and apparently found a way to use them to convert surplus energy in organisms into electricity. Sometime after the Red Ribbon Army fell, Dr. Gero used that same technology to create robots which could produce and use artificial, ki-like energy."

"That's good to know," Piccolo said. "What's the catch?"

"The cyborgs have really powerful generators," Reese said. "I've never seen anything that suggests they get tired—they can blow up an entire city block by block and still fight at full strength. And while they use energy similar to ki, we haven't figured out any way to detect it the way we do ki."

Gohan frowned. "Then…how do we find them?"

"…At home, we mostly listened to the radio. The cyborgs always made the news."

Piccolo sighed. "So we'll be fighting things which never tire, whose energy we can't detect—either to track them or to predict their strikes—and I'm guessing they're also stronger than anyone we've fought before."

"I'm pretty sure they are."

"Because of course they are." Piccolo sighed. "We've got our work cut out for us, then. Especially if—" Piccolo lunged at Gohan, kicking him into a nearby tree. "—some of us don't learn how to dodge."

* * *

 **One Month After**

Chi-Chi looked around her house. Nothing stuck out to her as being unclean or out of place, aside from the fact that Gohan was training with Reese, rather than studying. _Still, he's learning about technology from Reese. And he's so polite, I can't complain about him. Piccolo, on the other hand…_

There was nothing Chi-Chi could do about that. Demon or alien or whatever he was, he wasn't likely to leave any time soon. And Gohan seemed to get along with him, though she couldn't imagine why. (For a while, she had suspected Stockholm syndrome, but she didn't think that would persist so long after Piccolo died.)

Chi-Chi decided to call the Briefses. Goku hadn't come home since Bulma made the gravity chamber, and Chi-Chi tried to keep up to date on what he was doing. She dialed the Briefs's number; after a moment, Bulma's face appeared on the video phone's screen. "Hello? Oh, hi, Chi-Chi!"

"Hi, Bulma! It's good to see you again."

"It's been too long. How are Reese and Gohan?"

"They're getting along fine. Reese is a polite young man; I think he's a good role model for Gohan. Oh, that reminds me, I heard that Reese was trained by his time's Gohan!"

"Really?"

Chi-Chi nodded. "Gohan recognized Reese's fighting style. So he asked Reese, and Reese told us. He asked us not to ask too much about the future. He's worried that the future might change for the worse if he tells us too much."

"Well, it's not like he can tell us what start-up companies are worth investing in or anything like that. Aside from the warning about those two cyborgs, I can't think of anything in the future I'd like to know about."

"And that medicine for Goku. Speaking of which, how is he?"

Bulma shrugged. "As good as he's been since getting back from space. Maybe better. He and Vegeta are enjoying their training, especially when the gravity room's working."

"What's wrong with it?"

"At the moment? Nothing. But sooner or later, one of them's going to break something important with a stray punch or blast or something again, and then Dad and I are going to need to drop whatever we're doing while they train in the backup gravity room."

Chi-Chi sighed. "Shows you how much they care."

"If they hold back, they can't get better. They need to be at their limits to surpass them. At least, that's what Vegeta says."

Chi-Chi shook her head. "He's such a bad influence on Goku."

"Vegeta isn't _that_ bad."

"Gohan told me he tried to kill him, Goku, and Krillin. After his friend killed all of theirs."

"Okay, but if Goku shunned everyone who tried to kill him once, he wouldn't have any friends. Except his teachers and Krillin, I suppose."

" _I_ haven't tried to kill Goku."

Bulma waved her hand vaguely. "You're part of his family, so you don't count as a friend."

"Well...what about you? You haven't tried to kill Goku…have you?"

Bulma glanced at the ground shamefully. "When we first met, I…well, he wrecked my car, and I thought he was going to kill me, so…I overreacted."

Chi-Chi glared at Bulma.

"I was just a scared kid! We all did stupid stuff when we were kids. Especially Goku."

Chi-Chi sighed. "It didn't stop when he grew up…Still, I can't bring myself to trust Vegeta. After Garlic Junior and Dr. Kochin, Goku started to trust Piccolo…and then I heard that the green bastard killed Goku and kidnapped Gohan."

From outside, Chi-Chi thought she heard Piccolo shout something like "I can hear you," but she dismissed that as paranoia. _There's no way he can hear me from_ that _far away. Right?_

Bulma shrugged. "I've spent time with Vegeta, when he's not training, and he's not that bad. I mean, sure, he's a bit...cold and abrasive, but when you get down to it he's not that different from Goku. Ever since he came back from being dead, at least."

"Goku hasn't changed _that_ much," Chi-Chi insisted.

* * *

 **Two Months After**

Goku jumped over an energy blast. He was fighting with both arms behind his back, to try and keep things interesting. It infuriated Vegeta, but Goku couldn't understand why. Vegeta was weaker than Goku, and making a fuss about it didn't change anything. It was just annoying.

Goku landed behind his sparring partner and spun about. Vegeta turned almost as quickly, firing a barrage of weak blasts as he turned. Goku deflected the handful of blasts that came close to him with one foot, before hopping back as he sent an energy-clone thing forward. Vegeta was so focused on offense that he didn't move until the last instant possible, still taking a glancing blow. Vegeta clutched his left arm, breathing heavily.

Goku saw an opening. He rushed forward and, summoning all of his energy, kicked Vegeta in his right arm. Vegeta fell backwards, screaming; he didn't move. Goku stared at Vegeta for a moment, before going through a few solo combat exercises. It was possible that Vegeta just wanted Goku to let his guard down, but Goku didn't worry. Even if Vegeta caught him by surprise, Goku could still win.

"K...Kakarot…help..."

Goku paused to look at Vegeta. He had barely moved and his right arm was bent oddly to one side. Goku figured he probably wasn't going to counterattack and went back to training. Vegeta would come back from it stronger.

"Get Bulma...or something...you bastard…"

Goku shrugged. It probably wouldn't take too much time.

* * *

 **Two and a Third Months After**

Bulma entered Vegeta's recovery room. She set a steaming styrofoam cup at his bedside and sat down, holding another.

Vegeta turned over onto his side and stared at it. "This is lunch?"

"Sorry, we're out of real food. Things have been busy, no one's been to the store since last week, and...well, you and Goku kind of eat a lot."

"Of course we do. A Saiyan warrior needs—"

"I know. Loot, instant noodles are all we've got right now."

Vegeta sighed and reached for the cup with his good arm.

"It's not ready yet. It still needs—" Bulma glanced at her watch. "—about two minutes."

"What?" Vegeta dropped onto his back. "These noodles need to sit for two minutes before you can eat them?"

"Three, actually."

"How is that instant?"

"It's a lot faster than regular noodles."

"Then shouldn't they be called 'much faster noodles,' not 'instant'?"

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today."

"I've been lying on this stupid bed for a week and a half, waiting for my arm to heal so I can start training again. What do you expect?"

Bulma patted Vegeta's shoulder. "I know it's rough, but there's nothing we can do. But look on the bright side. You saiyans heal fast—you should be all better in a week or two."

Vegeta shifted away from Bulma. "Where are those damn magic beans? I wouldn't need to wait a couple weeks if I had those."

"We need to save the senzu for when the androids attack. It's not like you can just throw one in the ground and have a giant stalk shoot up overnight."

"Of course not. I'm almost certain that would violate conservation of mass...unless it turned the soil into plant matter, but the waste heat from that would—"

"It's just a joke, Vegeta. It's a reference to an Earth fairy tale."

"Earth tells legends about agriculture." Vegeta chuckled wearily. "That...that just makes sense, somehow."

"And what stories do Saiyans tell their children? Stories about wiping out other species and destroying planets?"

"...Yes."

Bulma couldn't decide if she wanted to laugh or sigh. "I honestly don't know what I expected." She glanced at her watch. "Oh, the noodles are plenty done." She handed a pair of chopsticks to Vegeta and began eating her own noodles.

Vegeta sighed. He sat up, balanced the cup of noodles between his cast and his torso, and began eating. He paused after the first bite, then paused.

"What's wrong?" Bulma asked. "Do you not like—"

Vegeta inhaled the rest of the noodles before slurping the broth.

"I guess you like it after all."

"Why haven't you brought me this before?"

Bulma glanced at her own cup. "It's just cheap food Dad keeps around in case we're trapped in the house for a while. These instant noodles last almost—"

"But it's so delicious! It might be the best food I've had since I came to this backwater planet!"

"Just don't say that around the chef."

Vegeta ignored her. "This would be terrible training food, but I don't need much protein right now. I intend to eat this every night until I'm ready to start training again."

Bulma smiled. "If that's what you want."

* * *

 **Five Months After**

Gohan jumped up and at Trunks, trying to kick him in the chest, but the elder half-Saiyan grabbed his foot. Gohan let his momentum carry his upper body forward, but Trunks grabbed his opposite arm in his other hand. Gohan struggled briefly, but then lay still.

Trunks let go of his pupil. "I think we're done for today."

Gohan drifted to the ground, staring directly at it. "Yeah. Thanks, Reese. I'm sorry I'm still no good."

Trunks laughed. "You're better than I was at your age. You're doing great. We've got two and a half years until the cyborgs come. That's plenty of time to get you Super Saiyan."

"I'm glad you think so."

"It's not going to be easy, but we'll get there."

Gohan looked back up to Trunks. "Did the me in your time go Super Saiyan?"

"Yeah. I think the grief from losing most of his family and friends to the cyborgs pushed him. We should probably think of something else, though."

Gohan mumbled something that sounded like an agreement.

Trunks clapped his hand on Gohan's shoulder. "I went Super Saiyan from my mentor dying, but I'd rather we not do that." He forced a laugh. _What am I even saying?_

Gohan looked back down at the ground. "So someone I care about has to die before I'm any good?"

"Not necessarily! My—Vegeta first went Super Saiyan because he was really mad he couldn't. At least, that's what I've been told. I wasn't born then. So if you just...think about all of those people dying, and focus on how much you want to go Super Saiyan…"

Gohan shook his head.

"...Well, maybe we just need to try something else for a while. I know. Tomorrow, I'll start teaching you to use a sword. It's a lot harder than it looks, especially if you want it to do any good against a ki-user. Does that sound good?"

"I guess. I...should probably go and study or something."

"Alright. I'll be in soon." Trunks floated above the treeline and stared at the horizon without seeing it, hearing birds sing without listening. He was entirely focused on his thoughts...and his failures.

 _What am I doing? Sure, Gohan's getting stronger, but I'm barely helping him. He'd be doing as well training with Piccolo or Goku or someone, and probably almost as well on his own. Not that it matters if he can't go Super Saiyan, and I don't have any idea how to do that. All I can do is try to do what my Gohan did when he wanted me to go Super Saiyan._

Trunks could hear his mother's voice in his head. _"They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and expecting different results." But what am I supposed to do? Pick a fight with someone stronger than me and die? Get Piccolo to do that? I know, Trunks thought sarcastically, I'll fight Piccolo to the death. That way, Gohan's sure to go Super Saiyan. If only it was that simple._

Trunks felt something at the edge of his perception, but ignored it. _What went wrong? Goku's insane, Dad's worse, and I'm not helping anything. I might as well curl up in a little ball and wait for the cyborgs to get me for all the good I've done. I don't even have a clue what I've done wrong, or what I need to do. If something changes, maybe I can use that change to do something, but I can't bet on that. I..._

Suddenly, something hot went through his stomach. Trunks looked down. His shirt had a hole in it, but he wasn't bleeding. _Is that good or bad?_ The trees were getting closer...that was probably bad...


End file.
